The Union Ministry of External Affairs slammed China's move to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh, saying giving "invented names" will not change the reality.
The MEA said Arunachal Pradesh "is, has been, and will always be" an integral and inalienable part of India. Its people will continue to benefit from our development programmes and infrastructure projects, the ministry stated.
The MEA response comes after China released a fourth list of 30 new names of various places in Arunachal Pradesh amid its attempts to re-emphasise its claim over India's northeastern state.
"China has persisted with its senseless attempts to rename places in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. We firmly reject such attempts. Assigning invented names will not alter the reality that Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
On Monday, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said altering names won't change anything on ground. "If today I change the name of your house, will it become mine? Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always be a state of India. Changing names does not have an effect," the minister said.
