India has dismissed China’s ploy of renaming of 15 places in Mandarin language in Arunachal Pradesh asserting that “renaming does not change the fact on the ground that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India”. But the mood in rest of Arunachal remains festive on celebration of Donyi Polo day there.

It is not only the government, even the netizens on social media have trashed China’s renaming of 15 places.  They have termed  it as one among China's many  "propagandistic diplomatic ploy to divert attention from the virulent attack China is facing from different organisations around the world, which are mobilising India, USA and other countries for announcing “boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics”.    

They are out to mobilise public opinion on social media in India  seeking a complete  “boycott of  Beijing winter Olympics" . The netizens allege that  "China is  committing atrocities against Uyghurs Muslims  in Zinjiang  and it has jailed a woman journalist, Zhang Zhan for four years,  who had exposed Chinas' claim on coronavirus a year ago”.

Why Indian Media does not highlight it, Angmo Padma, a social media anti-China activist questioned.  

Brig. V Mahalingam (Retd) tweeted as saying that China announced the second batch of names for 15 places including residential places, mountains, rivers and a Pass in Arunachal Pradesh. They have done it earlier in April 2017. If India gives Indian name to Beijing, will it be considered as a part of India. There is limit to foolishness”, he said, reacting to a section of media reports highlighting this “non-sensical renaming by China”.

As per local media reports in Arunachal quoting agencies reports, China has renamed eight residential places, four mountains, two rivers and one mountain Pass  in Mandarin languages in state of Arunachal Pradesh on December 29, 2021.  

Second, China is also increasingly engaging with the new military junta regime of Myanmar, a troubled common neighbour of India and China. Myanmar may restart development and infra projects with China, besides accelerating bilateral economic and technical cooperation.

 “Projects involving Chinese development assistance of 3.8 billion yuan may be prioritized. Myanmar may include yuan as a settlement currency for border trade”, observed Brig Mahalingam.

In reaction to the reports in media, the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India categorically said they have seen such a report and this is not the first time that China has attempted such a renaming of places in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. “China had also sought to assign such names in April 2017”.

“Arunachal Pradesh has always been and will always be an integral part of India. Assigning “invented names” to places in around Arunachal Pradesh does not alter this fact on the ground”, MEA asserted and clarified.  

The agencies reports say quoting Chinese Ministry of civil affairs as saying that “it has standardised the names of 15 places in Chinese characters, Tibetan and Roman alphabet in “Zangnan, the southern part of China’s Xizhang”.

The strategists say that China’s PLA consistent engagement with India along Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Northeast is also being viewed in the context that Prime Minister Narender Modi government has stepped up building up of road and connectivity infrastructure in the Northeast and Ladakh. Second, it is for the first time BJP is running the governments in UT Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh which have irked the anti-BJP lobbies, which are out to formant trouble, they observe.

But Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, who also is a BJP MP from Arunachal Pradesh and Deputy Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh,  Chowna Mein remain unfazed by the reports as they have not reacted to media reports  on renaming of 15 places in Arunachal so far.

 Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein congratulated people of Arunachal Pradesh on celebration of  Donyi Polo day wishing almighty Donyi-polo shower them on eve of new year.  

Instead, they have congratulated people of Arunachal Pradesh on celebration of  Donyi Polo day wishing almighty Donyi-Polo shower blessings on them  on eve of new year.