“Arunachal Pradesh Inseparable Part of India”: BJP MP on China’s ‘South Tibet’ Claim

Itanagar: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Tapir Gao has dismissed China’s labeling of Arunachal Pradesh as “South Tibet”, reiterating that it is and will always be an ‘inseparable part’ of India.

He stated that even the 14th Dalai Lama has affirmed that Arunachal was never part of Tibet.

Speaking on the issue, Tapir Gao said, “China calls Arunachal Pradesh ‘Southern Tibet’. India has repeatedly said that Arunachal Pradesh is an inseparable part of India. Arunachal Pradesh was never a part of Tibet. The 14th Dalai Lama has also said this many times. A day will come when China will have to leave Tibet.”

He further issued stern warning to Bangladesh, asserting that there should be no misconceptions about India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. He also claimed that the neighbouring country wishes to extend itself towards Northeast India. He added that India is capable of expanding the 22-km Siliguri Corridor and even taking the Chittagong Hill Tracts if required.

“Bangladesh dreams of extending into our northeast region. PM Modi leads today’s India, so Bangladesh should not have any misconceptions about India. We can even expand the 22km chicken neck stretch and also take the Chittagong Hill. Today’s India can do anything.

Tapir Gaon further called for deportation of illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya migrants from India. He said that the government must act firmly to send back people living in India without valid documents.

On the other hand, former diplomat KP Fabian stressed that China’s claims over Arunachal Pradesh shows a long-standing expansionist approach. India continues to maintain workable relations with Beijing in areas such as trade and investment, he added.

Referring to the recent Pentagon assessment, Fabian said, “The Pentagon is right in the sense that China sees Arunachal Pradesh, you know, as one of the five fingers of Tibet. You know, the other fingers.”

He added that such thinking was not new, ““Now, this was the view of also. In other words, we in India have recognised, but we should keep in mind, China has an expansionist policy. You know, China doesn’t respect the territorial integrity of India,” he said.

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