The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) along with the Chief Ministers of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam expressed strong condemnation towards China for their recent actions of renaming certain locations within India’s northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.
Addressing queries from the media regarding China's renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal emphasized in New Delhi that China's persistent efforts to rename areas within the Indian state were baseless and unwarranted.
"We firmly oppose such actions. The attempt to assign fictitious names does not change the fact that Arunachal Pradesh has always been and will remain an integral part of India," stated Jaiswal.
In a similar vein, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu denounced China's actions, asserting on social media: "China's latest maneuver is nothing but a mere spectacle. As a proud citizen of India and a native of Arunachal Pradesh, I vehemently denounce the act of renaming places within our territory. The people of Arunachal Pradesh stand united against such provocations."
Despite India's repeated objections to these renaming endeavors, China purportedly unveiled a fourth list on Monday, containing 30 newly proposed names for various locations in Arunachal Pradesh.
Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma recommended a retaliatory measure, suggesting that India should reciprocate by renaming 60 places in the "Tibetan areas of China."
Advocating for a "tit-for-tat" approach, Sarma urged the Indian government to take action against China's attempts to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh.
"My appeal to the Government of India is to designate 60 geographical locations in Tibetan regions of China," Sarma articulated to the press in Diphu, Assam.
Nevertheless, Sarma refrained from further commentary, acknowledging that the matter rested as a policy decision of the Indian government. He emphasized, "If they have named 30, we should name 60."
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