NEW DELHI: The Government today asserted that Arunachal Pradesh was an integral part of the nation and the issue of stapled visas to the people of the state was raised on all bilateral fora with firmness and assertiveness.
This was stated by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in response to a supplementary question during Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha on the issue of Chinese officials issuing stapled visas for the people of Arunachal Pradesh.
She said the issue had been raised in all the meetings by the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Apart from this, the issue was also taken up from time to time at the Foreign Minister’s level.
To another supplementary question about giving Government contracts to Chinese companies, she said that India did not have a policy to not issue Government contracts to Chinese companies.
To a question by Narendra Jadhav, nominated, Ms Swaraj said India was ”not a mute spectator” to happenings in Tibet.
Expressing her Government’s commitment to Indian interests, she said in response to another question that Tibetan religious leader the Dalai Lama had visited Arunachal Pradesh many times and recently he went to Tawang for the fifth time.
Earlier, Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar said he had seen media reports about cancellation of visit of Indian journalists to Tibet but did not have details.
Referring to media reports that the visit of some Indian journalists belonging to private media organisations to Tibet had been cancelled by China, the MoS for External Affairs said ”the Government has no details of such a visit because the Government was not approached by the host agency or journalists for assistance.”
Speaking during Question Hour, he told the House that during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to India in September 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he had decided to enhance people-to-people contact as it ”contributes to enhanced mutual trust and understanding and provides a durable foundation for continuous development of bilateral partnership.”
He said ”in addition to bilateral arrangements to augment media exchanges, both India and China also invite each other’s journalist delegation from time to time. Media exchanges also take place under the aegis of media houses and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
The Government does not get involved with such private visits or visits at the invitation of the other country unless specifically requested,” the House was informed.
The Minister also told the Rajya Sabha that India did not have a quid pro quo on the issue of ‘One China policy’ to a question by V Vijaysai Reddy of YSRCP. (AGENCIES)
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