NEW DELHI: India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reacted strongly to China's actions of ‘renaming’ various locations in Arunachal Pradesh. Singh questioned whether similar attempts by India would mean that those areas in China are now considered as "parts of our territory."

Speaking at an election rally in Arunachal's Namsai on Tuesday (April 9), Rajnath Singh said "nothing is going to happen by changing the names. 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 relationship between India and China will deteriorate."

The Union minister said China’s move to change the names of 30 places in Arunachal Pradesh will not change the ground reality that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India.

"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 further said.

“I assure you that India will now never allow even an inch of land to be captured by its neighbour. We have rectified the mistakes of the Congress since 2014 when our party came to power and initiated infrastructure projects in border areas so that our borders are secured. For the NDA government, border villages are strategic assets of the country.”

Last Monday, China announced the renaming of 30 locations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh. The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs issued the fourth list of ‘standardised’ geographical names in the northeastern state, referred to as Zangnan by Beijing. This list included 11 residential areas, 12 mountains, four rivers, one lake, one mountain pass, and a parcel of land, all of which were subject to renaming by China.

India's External Affairs Ministryhad denounced the renaming and its spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said, “China has persisted with its senseless attempts to rename places in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. We firmly reject such attempts.”

Rajnath Singh further highlighted the significant contributions made by the residents of border villages during the 1962 conflict with China. He emphasised that their support for the country will always be remembered, and the nation will remain forever grateful to them.