New Delhi: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Tuesday reacted to China's claim over the northeastern state, saying that the people of the state were connected to India for centuries.
He was referring to China’s attempt to release new maps showing Arunachal Pradesh as part of its territory.
Speaking to ANI, Khandu said, "Do you feel from any angle that there is anything towards China here. Whatever China is claiming, I don't know on what basis are they claiming? For centuries we have been connected to India. When China has claimed, the Ministry of External Affairs has reacted immediately. The people of Arunachal Pradesh are one of the most patriotic in the country. When they received guests they chant Jai Hind. A lot of tough challenges are here, but when it comes to the country, no compromise."
He also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for development in the state in the last nine years.
"Earlier, development was a huge challenge for the Arunachal Pradesh government. I want to thank PM Modi as in the last 9 years, we have seen transformational change in terms of infrastructure, and connectivity. The most important component of connectivity is road connectivity. We have almost completed the previous trans-Arunachal Highways project of 1700 km. Now the districts have been connected with double-lane highways. The futuristic road project of a 2500 km long national highway will be started this year."
He added, "Out of these Frontier Highway will be 1500 km and interconnectivity will be 1000 km. The Frontier Highway will play a vital role in connecting the unconnected bordering areas. It will not only benefit the local villagers, but it will also benefit the border guarding forces like the Indian Army and ITBP. It is a very futuristic project and it will be a game changer for our state and will help the tourism sector."