Rajnath Singh Cautions China Over Renaming Places In Arunachal Pradesh: 'Want To Maintain Good Relations But...'

Union Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday that India wants to maintain good relations with its neighbours but if someone tries to hurt India's honour then it has the power to respond today. Singh also said that China has changed the names of 30 places in Arunachal Pradesh on its website, but nothing happens by changing the names.

#WATCH | Arunachal Pradesh: Addressing a public rally in Namsai, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh says, "China has changed the names of 30 places of Arunachal Pradesh and posted on its website. I want to tell my neighbour that nothing is going to happen by changing the names. If… pic.twitter.com/QW7QrnyCIT

— ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2024

Speaking at an election rally at Namsai in Arunachal Pradesh East Constituency, Rajnath Singh asserted that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India.

“I want to ask China if we change the names of various states of the neighbouring country, will those be parts of our territory? Because of such activities, the relation between India and China will deteriorate,” Singh said.

“We want to maintain good relations with all our neighbours. But if anybody tries to harm our self-respect, India has the capability to give a befitting reply,” the defence minister asserted.

Earlier this month, India outrightly rejected as "senseless" China renaming some places in Arunachal Pradesh and asserted that assigning "invented" names does not alter the reality that the state "is, has been, and will always be" an integral part of India.

Beijing had recently announced Chinese names for 30 more places in Arunachal Pradesh, which the neighbouring country claims as southern part of Tibet.

(With input from agencies)