Delimitation irrelevant for Arunachal: Teli

Itanagar, July 02: Member of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and former minister of Arunachal Pradesh T.C.Teli today urged the Centre to maintain status quo in the Delimitation issue.

He further stressed on the need to concentrate on the bigger issues confronting the state.

Describing the proposed delimitation of 60 assembly constituencies in Arunachal Pradesh as an irrelevant and unnecessary exercise, Mr Teli said that when a neighbouring country repeatedly claimes Arunachal as its territory and threatens the very integrity of the country, ''Delhi has surpassingly been maintaining a stoic silence,'' except reiterating that the state was an indivisible part of the country.

The Centre had created 60 assembly seats to accommodate innumerable ethnic groups of the state totalling seven lakh, he said, adding that "it would be wise to maintain status quo" as the proposed delimitaion had been objected by all sections of people throughout the state.

Mr Teli, also chairman of Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee's trade and commerce cell, also opposed the proposal of reopening of border trade as the state would be treated as transit point without accruing any benefit to its people in particular and the Northeast in general.

The 'Look-East' policy might not be beneficial for the region as a passage to China would complicate the boundary problem, he apprehended.

Meanwhile, strong opposition have been raised to the proposed delimitation throughout the state, including observations of bandhs.

The people of Koloriang in Kurung Kumey district had staged a peaceful dharna in front of Nirvachan Vhawan here today.

Earlier, Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu and former chief minister Gegong Apang had appealed to the Delimitation Commission to maintain status quo as any disturbance in the existing assembly constituencies could affect the communal harmony in this peaceful state.

UNI