Chakma-Hajong issue is like 'cancer' for Arunachal Pradesh, says CM Khandu

The CM of Arunachal Pradesh Pema Khandu said that the Chakma-Hajong issue is like a cancer for the state.

Itanagar, Oct 7: The Chakma-Hajong refugee crisis in the border state of Arunachal Pradesh is refusing to die down soon.

On Friday, Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Pema Khandu stated that the state government had rejected citizenship for the Chakma-Hajong refugees as directed by the Supreme Court back in 2015.

He added that the state government decision has been informed to the Union ministry of home affairs.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the border state has been forced to reject citizenship for Chakma and Hajong refugees in spite of the Supreme Court ruling and the saffron party's keen interest in honouring the apex court's order because of wide-scale protest by indigenous people of Arunachal Pradesh.

The CM clarified that citizenship to the refugees would be based on eligibility as per the provisions of the Indian Citizenship Act.

"Till now, all the cases forwarded to the home ministry do not qualify for citizenship as those have been rejected by the state government," the CM said on the last day of the BJP's fifth state executive meeting in Tawang.

Khandu added the Chakma-Hajong issue is like "cancer" for the state.

"Therefore, it needs to be addressed urgently lest it harms Arunachal Pradesh irreparably. I have resolved to tackle the issue in consultation with all stakeholders such as the All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union and the Union home ministry," Khandu told BJP delegates at the meeting.

The CM informed that he told the home ministry that the Chakma-Hajong refugees cannot be kept out of the purview of the inner-line permit (ILP) regime. "Even if they are granted citizenship, they will have to come under the purview of the ILP like any other Indian citizen from outside Arunachal Pradesh. In no way the Chakma-Hajongs will be given the same privileges and rights enjoyed by the indigenous tribals of the state," he said.

The people of Arunachal Pradesh had strongly contested the Centre's willingness to honour the 2015 decision of the Supreme Court to grant citizenship to Chakma and Hajong refugees in the state.

Earlier in September, Arunachal Pradesh witnessed several violent incidents during a 12-hour dawn-to-dusk bandh to protest against the Narendra Modi government's decision to grant citizenship to Chakma and Hajong refugees settled in the state for decades.

The contentious issue of Chakma-Hajong refugees, settled in Arunachal Pradesh for several decades, came to the forefront once again after the Union home ministry in September announced that it would grant citizenship to over one lakh Chakma and Hajong refugees, comprising Buddhists and Hindus, as per the 2015 Supreme Court's order.

However, after witnessing public anger over its announcement, the Union home ministry did a U-turn saying the Supreme Court's order was "unimplementable" as it would change the state's demography.

OneIndia News