As expected, after the visit of union Home minister Amit Shah to Arunachal Pradesh, China issued a statement criticising the visit and claiming the state as part of China. In a clear message to China from the border village of Kibithoo in Arunachal, Shah on Monday had said that no one can dare cast an evil eye on India’s territorial integrity and encroach on even an “inch of our land.” Since then, a war of words has broken out between two countries.
India on Tuesday firmly rejected China’s objection to the home minister’s visit to Arunachal and asserted that the state “was, is and will” always remain an integral and inalienable part of India. The strong response given by India was swift, and hopefully, the message has gone to the Chinese establishment. After Ladakh, the Chinese PLA has been increasingly behaving very aggressively along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh. The visit of Shah and his strong words against Chinese claims over the state will definitely hurt the Chinese. They will try to find some ways to provoke situations along the LAC. India should be ready and take appropriate action to thwart any attempt by the Chinese PLA to carry out misadventures near the international border. Arunachal Pradesh for long has been a target of the Chinese. The visit of the union home minister will have given a massive boost to the security personnel posted along the border. But China will see it differently and will try to make attempts to try humiliating India. The security establishment should be well prepared for it.