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“Due to the bravery of soldiers of our Army and ITBP, no one can challenge the borders of our country. The time is gone when anyone could encroach on our land. Now, not even land equal to ‘sui ki nok’ (needlepoint) can be encroached on. Our policy is clear. We want to live in peace with all but will not allow even an inch our land to be encroached upon,” said Shah while launching the ‘Vibrant Villages Programme’ (VVP) at Kibithoo, India’s first village near the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh’s Anjaw district.
“Our policy is clear. We want to live in peace with all but will not allow even an inch our land to be encroached upon,” he added.
At a media briefing in Beijing, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said, “Zangnan is part of China’s territory. The activity of the senior Indian official in Zangnan violates China’s territorial sovereignty and is not conducive to peace and tranquillity in the border areas. We are firmly against this.” Zangnan is the Chinese name for Arunachal Pradesh.
Shah’s visit to the state followed a diplomatic flare-up over India’s G20 meeting in Arunchal’s capital of Itanagar and the subsequent renaming by Beijing of some villages to reinforce its claim over the state it claims as part of south Tibet.
Shah’s strong words came a week after China released a list of “standardised names” of 11 places in Arunachal. These newly named places, which MEA described as ‘invented names’, turned out to be forest land, non-existent rivers and nondescript mountain tops.
Kibithoo is about 15km south of LAC and 40km west of the India-China-Myanmar tri-junction and was often described as India’s last village.
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Amit Shah launches vibrant villages program on China border in Arunachal Pradesh
VVP, a scheme conceptualised by PM Modi for speeding up development in villages to encourage the locals not to migrate, also has a strategic dimension as it seeks to create upgraded infrastructure in the border areas — an initiative that has annoyed China.
While China has focused on strengthening the infrastructure on their side of the LAC to facilitate movement of troops, it has objected to India doing the same on its side of the border. Beijing’s protests acted as a deterrent for Indian authorities until 2014 when the Modi government decided to ramp up work on roads and bridges in areas closer to LAC disregarding objections.
The PM asked for border villages to be treated as India’s first settlements rather than the last ones. Articulating the changed stance, Shah said, “Kibithoo is India’s first village not the last village. This conceptual change is because of PM Modi — his love, affection and respect for the people living in the difficult terrain, the border guarding forces and the Army. Border areas are the priority of the prime minister. They are crucial for national security and that is why our government has continuously worked to enhance border infrastructure.”
He took a dig at opposition parties for neglecting the task and said the Modi government accomplished in two terms what non-BJP governments failed to do in 12 terms.
He also praised the ITBP and Army. “The countrymen can sleep peacefully in their homes because of our ITBP jawans and army,” he said.
Shah also inaugurated nine micro hydel projects at Kibithoo which will provide power to the border guarding forces as well.
China has always objected to visits by Indian leaders, including successive PMs, to Arunachal Pradesh. Beijing had earlier opposed India’s decision to host a G20 meeting in March. Undeterred by the objections, the government last week also announced dates for another G20 meeting in Jammu and Kashmir in a move likely to further ruffle Beijing besides Pakistan.
The recent tensions in Arunachal also come at a time when the two countries are still struggling to fully resolve the three-year-old military standoff in eastern Ladakh. India has maintained that it’s important to complete the disengagement process at the LAC in the region, and work towards de-escalation, for bilateral ties to return to normal.
Watch Amit Shah’s blistering message on “encroachment” from Arunachal’s Kibithoo village along China border
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