By IANS,
Kolkata: Reiterating India’s stand, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Wednesday said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh was a constitutional right as the state was an “integral part” of India.
Asked for his reaction to China’s objection over the prime minister’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, Mukherjee said: “The prime minister can definitely visit the state for campaigning or any other purpose.”
“I too visited Arunachal Pradesh for campaigning and considered it as a legitimate right. It’s a proper action on our part,” he added.
Replying to a question, he pointed out that in May, the people of Arunachal Pradesh had sent their representative to parliament under the Indian constitution.
“The just-concluded (assembly) polls in Arunachal Pradesh have proved that they were held in accordance with the Indian constitution,” the veteran member of the union cabinet maintained.