Map not part of MoUs signed with China: Gujarat on Congress' charge

Hours after Congress demanded apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over alleged distribution of a handout showing Arunachal Pradesh as "disputed territory" during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the city, the Gujarat government tonight said that the map was not part of the memorandums signed with China.

"The map is showing the location of Guangdong Province and Guangzhou City in China. The map was neither signed by any officials of the Gujarat government nor endorsed by Government of Gujarat. The map shows the location and the other data such as geographical area, population, per capita, etc. The map was not part of the MoU signed," the state government said in a statement issued in the evening.

The clarification came after Congress launched a scathing attack on the Modi government while voicing its concerns over repeated Chinese incursions. "In this MoU, Arunachal Pradesh as been shown as a disputed territory. The Prime Minister should apologise for this major lapse and blunder," party general secretary Ajay Maken said on his blog.

He was referring to a meeting on September 17 in Ahmedabad in which three MoUs were signed between the government of Gujarat and Gaundang province of China in the presence of Modi during which the Additional Chief Secretary of the state D Pandian had distributed a handout showing map of Gaundong province.

Raising a question, Maken has said, "whether in the MoU too, has this particular map (showing Arunachal Pradesh as disputed territory) been shown."