PM Modi’s tweet on Arunachal sends strong message to China

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message on Twitter, lauding Arunachal Pradesh’s massive development in the villages bordering China has come as a strong signal to Beijing, which recently renamed 11 places in this Indian state in the Northeast. PM Modi’s tweet came just hours after China renaming certain places in Arunachal Pradesh which it claims as South Tibet. In a response to a tweet by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, who posted pictures of one of the hydel projects at Mago village in Tawang district and in his home constituency, Mukto, PM Modi tweeted, “A welcome development in the border areas, which will empower those living in the border villages.”

In fact, this is one of Arunachal Pradesh’s ongoing endeavours to set up 50 standalone mini and micro hydel power projects in the villages bordering China to provide uninterrupted power supply to villages and the Army guarding the border. Arunachal Pradesh CM Khandu in his tweet said, “Golden Jubilee Border Illumination Program is in sync with the vision of Hon PM Shri Narendra Modiji that border villages aren’t the last but first to be transformed.”

The diplomats at South Block see PM Modi’s response to Khandu’s tweet regarding the bordering areas in the northeastern state, as a strong message to China in the backdrop of it renaming some places in Arunachal Pradesh for the third time. This is the third time China has unilaterally renamed places in Arunachal Pradesh, having previously done it in April 2017 and December 2021.

“PM Modi’s re-tweet of Khandu’s tweet should be seen as part of a calculated strategy to counter China’s sinister agenda over Arunachal Pradesh. Even