"China snatched 2000 sq km, PM why so much fear?" Rahul attacks Centre over China's renaming of places in AP

The Congress took strong objection on Tuesday to China renaming several places in Arunachal Pradesh and said it is the result of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "clean chit" to the neighbouring country and his "eloquent silence" on Chinese actions at the border.

In a tweet in Hindi, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi alleged that, "China has snatched 2000 sq km of land, they are changing names of places...Prime Minister is silent, no answer! Prime Minister, why so much fear?"

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the country continues to face the consequences of Modi's clean chit to China.

"For the third time China has dared to rename our areas in Arunachal Pradesh. April 21, 2017 -- 6 places, December 30, 2021 -- 15 places, April 3, 2023 -- 11 places. Arunachal Pradesh is and will remain an integral part of India. After Galwan, the country is facing the consequences of Modiji's clean chit to China," Kharge said in a tweet in Hindi.

India outrightly rejected China renaming some places in Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday, asserting that the state is an integral part of India and assigning "invented" names does not alter this reality.

New Delhi's reaction came in response to Beijing announcing Chinese names for 11 more places in Arunachal Pradesh which the neighbouring country claims as southern part Tibet.