Arunachal Pradesh an integral part of India, PM has every right to visit: Mukherjee India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday made it clear at a press conference at the WBPCC headquarters here that Arunachal Pradesh was an integral part of India and that the assembly elections held there under the Indian Constitution on Tuesday proved it beyond doubt. He also rejected China's objection to the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, visiting the state, saying it was absolutely appropriate for the Indian Prime Minister to visit the state for campaigning as the leader of the Congress Party. Mukherjee was responding to reservations on the Prime Minister's visit to Arunachal, as expressed by China. Mukherjee said just a few months ago the people of Arunachal had sent their representatives to the Indian Parliament under the Indian Constitution. Therefore, it was quite appropriate that the Prime Minister of the country, as the leader of the Congress Party, visited the state for campaign. Mukherjee pointed out that he too had visited the state for campaigning. He said recently West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and Home Minister P.Chidambaram had had a detailed discussion on the Maoist situation in the state. He said the Maoist movement was not confined to just West Bengal, but was an all India problem. Earlier, Mukherjee presided over a meeting of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress at the party office in Kolkata. Mukherjee said that just a few months back people of the state had sent their representatives to Parliament under the Indian constitution.