Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, while addressing an election rally in Namsai, Arunachal Pradesh, criticized China for renaming several places in the region. He questioned whether a similar attempt by India would result in those areas of China becoming part of India’s territory. Singh emphasized that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India and expressed India’s capability to give a befitting reply if its self-respect is harmed. India had previously rejected China’s renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the state is an integral part of India. Beijing recently announced Chinese names for 30 more places in Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as part of Tibet.