Borders were neglected in past, development now top priority: Kiren Rijiju

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday, August 20 said border development has become a “top priority” for the Narendra Modi government, while rejecting claims of fresh Chinese incursions into Arunachal Pradesh and accusing previous governments of having neglected infrastructure along the frontier.

Rijiju, who represents Arunachal West in the Lok Sabha, made the remarks amid renewed concerns over reported Chinese military activity in the Upper Subansiri region of Arunachal Pradesh. He said the government was focused on accelerating infrastructure development in strategically important border areas.

“Some people casually commented on border. Border areas are tough but @narendramodi govt is committed to border development. I went to Maza, Galemo, Taksing areas in Arunachal Pradesh to speed up infrastructure works. Borders were neglected in the past but it's top priority now,” Rijiju said in a post on X.

He also criticised the Congress over its record on border infrastructure and cited a 2013 statement by then Defence Minister A K Antony in Parliament.

“Amongst the Congress leaders, A.K. Anthony Ji is very honest. As Defence Minister he admitted the Congress Govt's policy of not making border infrastructure on the floor of the Parliament,” Rijiju said in another post.

Rijiju was referring to Antony’s statement in the Lok Sabha on September 6, 2013, when the then defence minister acknowledged that China had developed substantially better infrastructure along the border and attributed India’s infrastructure deficit to a policy followed for several decades after Independence.

Antony had said India had, for many years, followed a policy that “the best defence is not to develop the border”, arguing that undeveloped border areas were considered safer. He acknowledged that the approach had resulted in China gaining an infrastructure advantage along the frontier.

However, Antony had also said in the same statement that successive Indian governments had recognised the shortcomings of the policy and changed course 20 to 25 years before his 2013 remarks. He said the UPA governments had undertaken significant efforts to strengthen infrastructure and capabilities in border areas and expected future governments to continue the process.

Rijiju’s remarks came a day after he rejected claims that Chinese troops had penetrated up to 60 km inside Arunachal Pradesh. At the same time, he acknowledged concerns among residents living in border areas.

“India-China Border issue is a serious subject. Do not make false claim on such sensitive matter. We don't want to repeat the past mistakes. Govt will address the concern of the local people and protect Indian Territory,” Rijiju said on X on Wednesday.

The developments come against the backdrop of concerns over the India-China border situation, particularly in Arunachal Pradesh. The Ministry of External Affairs has stressed that maintaining peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) remains essential to the broader India-China relationship.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said on August 11 that India considers issues concerning the border areas with China to be “most serious”. He also said the state of affairs along the border would have a bearing on the wider bilateral relationship.

The government has maintained that peace and tranquillity in the border areas remain of “utmost importance” as India and China continue to manage their broader bilateral ties.