Since 2014, the Government has significantly increased the budget for the development of border infrastructure and completed more roads and bridges than ever before. These have provided much-needed connectivity to the local population and helped armed forces.
New Delhi: India on Thursday (January 6) asked China to refrain from "hyping normal activities" by Indian MPs and not to complicate the bilateral relations.
"We expect the Chinese side to refrain from hyping normal activities by Hon'ble MPs and complicate further the situation in our bilateral relations," MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi said here during the weekly briefing.
He said, "We have seen the reports about the Political Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy writing letters to Honorable Members of Parliament on their participation in an event."
The MEA spokesman said, "The substance, tone and tenor of the letter are inappropriate. The Chinese side should note that India is a vibrant democracy and Hon'ble MPs, as representatives of the people, undertake activities as per their views and beliefs."
The Chinese embassy has sent a letter to the participants, including Members of Parliament, expressing concern and calling on them to refrain from supporting "Tibetan independence" forces.
"China firmly opposes any anti-China separatist activities conducted by Tibetan independence forces in any capacity or name in any country and opposes any forms of contact by officials of any country with them," the Chinese embassy's political counsellor Zhou Yongsheng said in the letter.
On December 22, Tibetan parliament-in-exile speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel met with a group of MPs from various parties.
According to the Tibetan parliamentary secretariat, the meeting marked the "successful" revival of the All-Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet (APIPFT), defunct for several years.
Regarding reports about a bridge being made by the Chinese side on Pangong lake, the MEA spokesman said the "Government of India has been monitoring this activity closely. This bridge is being constructed in areas that have been under illegal occupation by China for around 60 years now."
"…. As you are well aware, India has never accepted such illegal occupation," Bagchi said.
He said the Government has been taking all necessary steps to ensure that the country's security interests are fully protected.
"As part of these efforts, the Government has also, in the last seven years, increased significantly the budget for development of border infrastructure and completed more roads and bridges than ever before.
These have provided much-needed connectivity to the local population as well as logistical support to armed forces," the spokesman said.
Renaming issue:
On renaming places in Arunachal Pradesh, MEA spokesman said, "Calling Tuting as "DouDeng" or River Siyom as "XiYueMu" or even Kibithu as "Daba" does not alter the fact that Arunachal Pradesh has always been and will always remain an inalienable part of India".
"We hope that instead of engaging in such antics China will work constructively with us to resolve the outstanding friction points in areas along the Western Sector of the LAC in India-China border areas," he said.
