Arunachal Pradesh is—and will always be—a part of India. That’s the message India sent loud and clear this week after China attempted to rename 30 locations in the state, once again stirring up an issue that should have been settled long ago.
On Monday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) strongly condemned China’s move. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called the act “preposterous,” stating that “assigning invented names does not alter the reality.” Arunachal Pradesh, he emphasized, is an integral part of India—and no amount of name games will change that.
This isn’t the first time China has tried this stunt. Since 2017, Beijing has been releasing lists of names in Mandarin, pretending that changing the label changes the owner.
It’s like scribbling your name on your neighbour’s gate and calling it yours. It’s petty. It’s absurd. And more importantly, it won’t fly.
India isn’t playing along. In fact, it’s pushing back harder than ever.
As tensions continue along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), India’s infrastructure upgrades in Arunachal Pradesh—from better roads to border outposts—send a clear message: we’re not just claiming this land; we’re protecting and investing in it.
And here’s the deeper irony: even as China claims Arunachal under the label of “South Tibet,” it conveniently ignores the wishes of the people actually living there. The locals identify as Indian.
They vote, celebrate Republic Day, and raise the tricolour with pride. Shouldn’t that matter more than what someone in Beijing decides to scribble in a notebook?
To the world, China’s renaming tactic may look like just another geopolitical move. But to Indians, it feels personal. Because every time someone tries to erase Arunachal from our maps, we respond by holding on tighter.
To quote Prime Minister Narendra Modi, “This is not the India of 1962.” Today’s India doesn’t just react—it reclaims.
Arunachal Pradesh is not a question mark. It’s a full stop.
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