Amid escalating tensions between Bharat and China over territorial claims, Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma advocated for a robust response from Bharat, suggesting the renaming of 60 areas in the Tibetan region of China in retaliation to China’s recent naming of 30 geographical areas in Arunachal Pradesh.
Addressing reporters, CM Himanta stressed upon the need for a proportional response, stating, “My request to the Union Government – we should give list of 60 geographical names of the Tibetan area of China. It should always be tit-for-tat. But I don’t want to comment because it is a policy decision of the Central Government. But if they have named 30, we should name 60.”
The latest exchange of verbal clash between Bharat and China ensued after Beijing released another list of standardised geographical names, recognising Arunachal Pradesh as Zangnan. This move marked the fourth such list, following previous releases in 2017, 2021, and 2023.
Bharat promptly rejected China’s claims over Arunachal Pradesh, reiterating its stance that the region is an integral part of Bharat. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal affirmed, “We firmly reject such attempts. Assigning invented names will not alter the reality that Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of Bharat.”
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar condemned China’s actions, drawing a parallel by asking, “If today I change the name of your house, will it become mine?”
