The Congress on Tuesday said the country was continuing to pay the price for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s "clean chit" to China as the neighbouring country released another list of Chinese names for places in Arunachal Pradesh.

Rahul Gandhi tweeted: “The benami Rs 20,000 crore invested in Adani company belongs to whom? The Prime Minister is silent, no answer. 2000sqkm of our territory is snatched by China. They are changing the names of the places as well. The Prime Minister is silent. No answer. Dear Prime Minister, why so much fear?”

Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh issued a statement saying: “A top Chinese diplomat recently claimed that the India-China border situation is now ‘stable’. But China’s provocations and transgressions continue. It has now released a third set of Chinese names for places in Arunachal Pradesh, having done so earlier in 2017 and 2021. This is the price we continue to pay for PM Modi’s clean chit to China in June 2020 and his eloquent silence on Chinese actions.”

Ramesh added: “Almost three years later, Chinese forces continue to deny our patrols access to the strategic Depsang Plains to which we previously had unimpeded access. And now the Chinese are attempting to undermine the status quo in Arunachal Pradesh. Arunachal Pradesh has always been and remains an integral and unalienable part of India. The people of Arunachal Pradesh are proud and patriotic citizens of India. There should be no doubt whatsoever on the collective resolve of India, and of all Indians, to ensure that these realities are not disturbed in any way.”

India rejects

The external affairs ministry on Tuesday rejected China’s decision to rename another set of places in Arunachal Pradesh, maintaining that inventing names would not alter the reality.

China’s ministry of civil affairs had on Sunday announced that it would standardise the names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh — which Beijing refers to as Zangnan (South of Tibet) — as part of an ongoing effort to assert its claim over the entire state. This is the third such list China has come out with since 2017, taking the number of areas renamed in Arunachal Pradesh in six years to 32.

Reacting to China’s announcement of standardising the names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, external affairs ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said: "We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright. Arunachal Pradesh is, has been and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality.”

The 11 places renamed include five mountain peaks and two rivers besides residential areas. China has followed the same policy with other areas that Beijing considers disputed to bolster its claims; particularly in the South China Sea where it has renamed two major archipelagos — the Spratly Islands and the Paracel Islands.