“If India Renames Places in China…”: Defence Minister's Poser To Beijing

Taking a strong stand on China ‘renaming’ some places in Arunachal Pradesh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday posed a big question to Beijing. If India renames some places in China, will it make them ours, Mr Singh asked the neighbouring country. 

Addressing a rally at Namsai in the Arunachal East constituency less than two weeks before the state votes in the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, the defence minister said the BJP-led government has taken steps to develop infrastructure as well as villages along the border. 

“This is our home. Recently, China has ‘renamed’ three places in Arunachal Pradesh and posted them on its website. I want to tell our neighbour that changing names will not achieve anything. Tomorrow, if we change the names of some places or states in China, will it make them ours? China should not make this mistake,” Mr Singh said in Hindi. 

“I think such steps harm the relationship between India and China. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee used to say that one can change one’s friends, but not one’s neighbours. India wants to maintain good relationships with all its neighbours, but if someone tries to hurt our self-respect, the India of today has the strength to hit back,” he thundered.

In a jibe at the Congress, the defence minister said large tracts of land had been ceded before the BJP-led government came to power at the Centre. Pointing to the infrastructure development in the region, Mr Singh said it was proof of PM Modi’s focus on the northeast.

Public meeting at Namsai in Arunachal Pradesh East Constituency.
https://t.co/HWHnvH8KAP

— Rajnath Singh (मोदी का परिवार) (@rajnathsingh) April 9, 2024

“No one can take India’s land now, I assure you. We have fixed the Congress’ mistakes and developed border Infrastructure. The Congress used to call villages near the border the last villages, but we say they are the first villages of the country. We are developing the villages fast and our belief is that we will not be able to protect the borders to the extent that we want until the border villages are developed,” he said.

“Not only are these villages strategically important but the people living in them, in Arunachal, are our strategic assets. This is why all of us have a special love and respect for you. Every time there has been a war with China, the role played by all of you will never be forgotten,” he added.

India has rejected the ‘renaming’ of places In Arunachal Pradesh and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju had told NDTV last week that India is not the country it was in 1962 and will defend every inch of its territory.

Arunachal will vote for the Lok Sabha polls and the Assembly elections on April 19. The counting for the Assembly polls will take place on June 2 and for the general elections on June 4.