Amit Shah in Arunachal: No one dare cast evil eye on our land

New Delhi, April 10

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who visited Arunachal Pradesh’s border areas on Sunday, said no one could dare cast an evil eye on India’s territorial integrity. He was speaking at the launch of ‘Vibrant Village’ programme in Kibithoo.

Addressing a public meeting after launching a slew of development initiatives, Shah said owing to the valour of the Army and ITBP personnel, not an inch of land could be encroached on. He said border areas were Modi government’s top priority. “The era is gone when anyone could encroach our land. Now, no land even equal to ‘sui ki noke’ can be encroached…,” he declared.

He said the Modi government had brought about a policy change to develop these areas. “Before 2014, the entire Northeast was seen as ‘disturbed area’ but because of the ‘Look East’ policy, it is now known for development,” he said. Paying homage to the martyrs of Kibithoo, who laid down their lives during the 1962 war, the Union Home Minister said: “In Arunachal, no one says ‘Namaste’ as people greet each other with ‘Jai Hind’ that fills our hearts with patriotism. It is because of this attitude that China had to retreat.” Talking about the ‘Vibrant Village’ programme, Shah said it envisaged tap water, electricity, cooking gas, financial inclusion, digital and physical connectivity and employment opportunities in remote border areas.

Reacting to Shah’s visit, China reportedly claimed that it violated Chinese sovereignty. Zangnan, (the Chinese name for Arunachal Pradesh) is China’s territory,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing in Beijing. India had last week rejected China renaming 11 more places in Arunachal, asserting that the state was an integral part of India and assigning “invented” names did not alter that reality. “We reject it outright,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said.