“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 social media post.

Rijiju also cited a 2013 statement by former Defence Minister A K Antony in Parliament, in which he reportedly acknowledged that China had built significantly better infrastructure along the border. Rijiju attributed India’s infrastructure gap to a policy followed for decades after Independence.

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,” he said. The remarks by Rijiju, who represents Arunachal West in the Lok Sabha, came amid renewed concerns over alleged Chinese military activity in the Upper Subansiri region of Arunachal Pradesh.

On Wednesday, Rijiju rejected claims that Chinese troops had penetrated as much as 60 km into Arunachal Pradesh, while acknowledging concerns among local residents. “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 wrote on a microblogging platform. After reports of tension along the border emerged, the Ministry of External Affairs said peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) was critical to the overall relationship between India and China.

“In matters relating to the border areas between India and China, we have always emphasised in discussions with the Chinese side that we consider these issues as most serious,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on August 11. “We have also stated that the state of the border affairs will reflect on the state of our larger bilateral ties,” he said, adding that maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas was of “utmost importance”.