Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will remain part of India: PM Modi

New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday sets aside China's territorial claim over a region of Arunachal Pradesh and reaffirmed that the state is an integral part of India and will always remain so. Hon’ble PM also mentioned that with the effort of Centre and Manipur government, the situation in the state has improved from the past.

"Arunachal Pradesh is, was and shall always be an integral part of Bharat," the PM said in an interview to Assam Tribune.

Hon’ble PM Narendra Modi's remark came after China assigned name of 30 places in Arunachal Pradesh to claim them as its own territory. During the interview, he also mentioned about the Sela tunnel which will facilitate Indian troops movement to Arunachal Pradesh throughout the year.

"It’s a real strategic game-changer, providing all-weather connectivity to Tawang," the PM said of the tunnel as he also mentioned the Donyi Polo airport and other projects initiated in Arunachal Pradesh, including water and housing schemes worth Rs 55,000 crore to improve prosperity in the state.

He reasserted that the government is committed towards the development of North Eastern region through various schemes.

On March 25, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian reiterated China’s claim reacting to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's assertions on Saturday, dismissing China's repeated claims on Arunachal Pradesh as "ludicrous" and that the frontier state was a "natural part of India".