Modi’s visit to border triggers India-China row
mumbai — China’s foreign ministry on Saturday condemned Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the disputed northeastern border state of Arunachal Pradesh, saying it “resolutely opposes” activities by Indian leaders in the region.
Modi’s visit was part of a series of public meetings in the region aimed at garnering support for his Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of Indian elections due by May.
Despite recent efforts to improve bilateral ties in both countries, disputes over the mountainous Indo-China border — which triggered a war in 1962 — and the region that China claims as southern Tibet have remained a sensitive issue.
India dismissed China’s opposition to the visit of Modi to Arunachal Pradesh, saying the state was an integral and inalienable part of India.
“The state of Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India. Indian leaders visit Arunachal Pradesh from time to time, as they visit other parts of India,” the External Affairs Ministry said. “This consistent position has been conveyed to the Chinese side on several occasions.” —
guwahati — Unfazed by the resistance in the Northeast , Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said his government’s intention is to pass the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill but assured the people of the region that it will ensure that the legislation does not cause any harm to Assam and its neighbouring states.
The prime minister was addressing a public rally at Changsari near Guwahati while inaugurating several development projects amid protests by various organisations across the region which showed him black flags on Friday.
“The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 is not for Assam or northeastern states. It is for the whole country. The bill is a national commitment considering the plight of the persecuted minorities in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The passage of the bill will ensure that those who were left out during the Partition and who still love India more than their lives are accommodated in the country. It is the responsibility of India to accept those people,” he said.
“I am here to assure you that the bill will not harm Assam or any other state in the region. The bill will only allow those persecuted minorities to apply for citizenship. There is no question of granting citizenship without verification,” Modi said.
“Our government has started work for updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) under the supervision of the Supreme Court, which the previous government was not doing. Our government is also working at a faster pace to seal the India-Bangladesh border,” Modi said.
The prime minister attacked the Congress by holding the opposition party responsible for the delay in conferring Bharat Ratna to the late Bhupen Hazarika and Gopinath Bordoloi.
“Although music maestro Bhupen Hazarika and Gopinath Bordoloi were worthy of Bharat Ratna, the conferring of the honour to them was delayed for decades by the previous governments. It is the BJP government during whose tenure Bharat Ratna was conferred to both the worthy sons of Assam,” he said. —