“When Indians cannot stay in Arunachal Pradesh without obtaining inner-line permit, how can foreigners?’’ Gegong Apang questions.

ARUNACHAL Chief Minister Gegong Apang is not happy with Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani’s advice protect Chakma refugees in view of eviction notices served to them by the All Arunachal Students Union. “When Indians cannot stay in Arunachal without obtaining inner-line permit, how can foreigners?’’ he asks. “Supreme Court in January 1996 decreed that individual Chakma and Hajong people would not be evicted on the ground that they were not Indian citizens until the Government took a decision on their application for citizenship,” Advani wrote on Sept 1 to Rajya Sabha member Swaraj Kaushal..

As such, Advani told Kaushal, “The Centre has asked the Arunachal government to honour the Court order in letter and spirit”.

Apang said, ‘’People will not tolerate any permanent settlement of Chakma refugees in Arunachal. Government of India cannot contradict the Constitution.” “My state is well protected by the Constitution. The Eastern Bengal Frontier Regulation Act, 1873 enacted by the British for protection of the indigenous people of the area is still in force”, says Apang, who recently joined the BJP He points out that he left the Congress and gave up chief ministership in 1995 against a similar ‘central imposition.’  He said he would approach the Prime Minister, Human Rights Commission and Election Commission of India for justice. BJP spokesman Khiren Rijiju said, “I am Arunachalee first and then BJP member,” and added, “We will go to Advani and challenge the Supreme Court’s verdict, if required.” 

APCC spokesman Habung Payeng also urged the state government to file a counter suit in the apex court for immediate eviction of Chakmas in the State or resettle them elsewhere in India. The Arunachal Congress Working Committee Chairman Kamen Ringu said, ‘’since some cases in this context are still in the Supreme Court, Advani should not give such advice.’’ Nationalist Congress president Tadar Taniang said ‘’If 75,000 refugees are settled here we Arunachalees will be outnumbered.’’

Arunachal wants special assistance

The Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Gegong Apang, has appealed to the Union Finance Ministry to waive the State’s debt liabilities and grant special financial assistance to enable it to get over the financial crisis. Apang discussed with the Union Finance Minister, Jaswant Singh, the financial position of the State, arguing that at least Rs 530 crore as a special grant and waiving of the debt liabilities could see the State get out of the morass. The Chief Minister also later called on President Dr AP J Abdul Kalam at Rastrapati Bhavan for the first time after being sworn in as Chief Minister on August 3 last. The Finance Minister has assured Apang of all help.

Apang withdraws anti-NSCN drive

After honouring his promise to withdraw the Aruanchal Pradesh Control of Organised Crime Act, 2002, the Gegong Apang ministry has also stopped, as pledged, ‘Operation Hurricane’ to flush out NSCN insurgents belonging both to he Isaac-Muivah and Khaplang factions in Arunachal’s Tirap district bordering Myanmar.

No pre-meditated move to topple Mithi Govt: BJP

BJP denied that toppling of Mukut Mithi regime in Arunachal Pradesh was a ‘pre-meditated’ step of the party to install Gegong Apang government. “It was neither a pre-meditated plan nor a move to saffronise the entire North-Eastern region,” party’s national council member and former R K Khrimey claimed. The BJP never ‘forced’ any minister of Mithi cabinet to quit the government and join Apang. “We did not force them. They took the decision on their own,” Khrimey said. Stating that Mithi failed to read the writing on the wall, he claimed that the former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister wanted to ‘merge’ his party with the BJP long back which was ‘prevented’ by the Deputy Prime Minister who wanted to ‘respect’ the people’s verdict. The former MP said central leaders of BJP have shifted their ‘focus’ to the North-East and pointed out that the NDA had done a lot for the people of the region.

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