Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Mukut Mithi has called upon the people to make the best use of the government’s agriculture policy to improve the economy as well as living standard of this tribal State. Agriculture production has to be increased substantially and marketing network created to push up the per capita income of the people, Mr. Mithi said while addressing a gathering at Pasighat, on the occasion of ‘Solung’ festival of the Adi community.

Stating that talks were on with many private companies who were interested to invest in the state, where agriculture is the main stay of over 80 per cent people, he said something concrete would come up soon. But peace was pre-requisite for development and peace alone could help the State to march ahead on the path of development, he said. Tribals should stick to their own culture, Mr. Mithi said.

“We have initiated research on tribal culture of Arunachal where people from foreign countries would also take part. A cultural team from the state has seen sent to Japan for this purpose,” he informed.

Meanwhile, the Mukut Mithi Government, influential All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union and the opposition political parties are locked in a war of  words over controversial APCOCA, the Arunachal Pradesh Control of Organized Crime Act (APCOCA).

Trouble broke out when State Education Minister and government spokesman Takam Sanjoy stridently criticised the opposition to the new law and took to task the AAPSU, which is in the forefront of the anti-APCOCA campaign.

Sanjoy said Arunachal Congress, BJP and NCP were creating “unnecessary confusion” among the people against the Act. In so many words he added, they are firing at the government from AAPSU shoulders. His remarks expectedly invited the wrath of the opposition and the students as well.

Recently Arunachal Congress, BJP and NCP have formed Arunachal Democratic Forum along with AAPSU to oppose the APCOCA, passed by the State Assembly on August 23. AAPSU president Tadar Dominic denied the minister’s allegation and accused the Mithi govt of taking the people of the State for a ride.

‘The allegation has no iota of truth’, Dominic said, and added, ‘AAPSU started the movement on its own and has been spearheading the campaign single handedly; political parties and NGOs extended their support much later’.