India hits out at China for renaming Arunachal areas

Reacting sharply to China renaming six places in Arunachal Pradesh, India on Thursday said inventing names of the states of a neighbour does not make illegal occupation legal. Answering questions on the issue, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay said Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India. “Renaming or inventing names of states of your neighbour do not make illegal occupation as legal,” he said.

China had Wednesday announced that it has “standardised” official names for six places in the state and termed the move a “legitimate action”. The move came days after Beijing lodged strong protests with India over the Dalai Lama’s visit to the state.

Speaking on the issue, Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said at a press meet that ‘every inch’ of space in Arunachal Pradesh belongs to India. “China has no business renaming our towns. Arunachal Pradesh is a part of India and will remain a part of India. Let them rename, how does it matter? It’s like renaming your neighbour. It doesn’t change his name.”