New Delhi: Union Minister for Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju has rejected China's attempt to rename several places in Arunachal Pradesh, terming them "malicious" and asserted that the Ministry of External Affairs has given an appropriate response to Beijing's action.

In an interview with ANI, Rijiju said that the Chinese were very happy with the Congress government as they had the policy not to develop border areas. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reversed the border policy of Congress. He said that China is nervous as infrastructure is being developed in border areas.

Union Minister said, "China has given some kind of names to some places in Arunachal Pradesh. But, I don't understand why they are doing that. We are very upset and we totally reject this kind of malicious activities conducted by the Chinese government. Our government from the External Affairs Ministry has responded very appropriately. But, what I feel is China is very nervous because earlier these border areas were totally left underdeveloped during Congress time and during Modiji's time, all major highways, roads, bridges, all 4G networks, water supply, electricity, all basic amenities are being provided in the border areas, especially in Arunachal Pradesh which was neglected for so long."

He noted that India has emerged as a great power under PM Modi's rule. He asserted that India will not create problems for others, however, it will respond appropriately if the country is disturbed. Rijiju said that the people of Arunachal are Indian citizens and nobody can change their status.

His remarks come after China recently released a list of 30 places in Arunachal Pradesh in a bid to assert its claim over India's northeastern state. India has been rejecting such renaming of places by China.

Criticising Congress for not developing border areas during its government, he said, "Chinese were very happy with Congress government because Congress had a policy not to develop the border areas. But, Prime Minister Modiji has reversed the negative border policy of the Congress party. So, now since the border areas are seeing the light of modern development.

China is reacting to it. China is feeling uncomfortable. They are raising objection why India is building so much infrastructure in the border areas. So, that is why they are resorting to this kind of unethical conduct. But, this India is not the India during Congress time. This is not the 1962 India."

"Under Modiji's regime, India emerged as a great power and India will not create any problem. India will not intrude into other countries internal matters. But if we are disturbed,

then we will respond appropriately. So nothing to worry, people of Arunachal Pradesh are rock solid behind Prime Minister and people of Arunachal are absolutely patriotic people. We are Indians and nobody can change our status," he added.

Slamming Congress for their approach towards China, Rijiju said that the party has no moral standing to make remarks on border areas as they neglected the border areas for the past 60 years. Hitting out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, he said that Wayanad MP was speaking the language of the Chinese government and accused him of working as a "propaganda agent" for the Chinese government.

Asked about opposition parties' remarks that government needs to change its trial balloon diplomacy with China, he said, "The Congress government and Congress party, they have shown their track record. So, what Congress says is basically furthering the propaganda of China. So if you see Rahul Gandhi's language. He is exactly speaking the same language of the Chinese government. So, Rahul Gandhi is working as a propaganda agent of the Chinese government. So, the Congress has no moral right or any moral standing to comment on border areas because they have committed a scene against these border areas. They have left the border areas totally neglected and underdeveloped for last 60 years."

Praising PM Modi-led government for developmental work in border areas, he said that PM Modi has brought the people of border areas into the mainstream by introducing different initiatives like the vibrant village program.

He said, "Modi ji has started the real developmental activities in the border areas. So the Congress party should better remain quiet, don't speak the language of the Chinese government. Stay quiet because they have done enough damage to our border areas as well as the status of the people."

"They have left our people to themselves without giving any proper attention. They neglected our people for more than 60 years. Now Modiji has brought the border people into the mainstream - The vibrant village program, the declaration of the border villages as the first villagers of the country. So, what Modi ji has done is totally changed status of the people of border areas. Now, our border people are very happy," he added.

Earlier in the day, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) firmly rejected China's attempt to rename several places in Arunachal Pradesh saying assigning invented names will "not alter the reality that the state will always be an integral and inalienable part of India.

"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 official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in an official statement.

According to a March 30 report in its state-run Global Times, the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs released a fourth list of standardized geographical names in Zangnan, the name that China uses for Arunachal Pradesh.

According to the official website of the ministry, 30 additional publicly used place names in the Zangnan region has been officially revealed, the Global times report said.

The Chinese Civil Affairs Ministry released the first list of the so -called standardised names of six places in Zangnan in 2017, while the second list of 15 places was issued in 2021 followed by another list with names for 11 places in 2023.

Set to take effect from May 1, 2024, the implementation measures stipulate in Article 13 that "place names in foreign languages that may harm China's territorial claims and sovereignty rights shall not be directly quoted or translated without authorization," the Global Times report said.

India has repeatedly rebuffed such attempts by China to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh. On Monday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that changing names won't have any effect and the north-eastern state was, is and will always be India's part.

This report is auto-generated from a syndicated feed