ITANAGAR, Aug 31: The Peoples Party of Arunachal (PPA) has warned the Pema Khandu-led BJP Government not to undermine the historical fact that Arunachal is a cent percent protected state, backed by constitutional safeguards in the form of the “Bengal Regulation Frontier Act, 1873” and “Chin Hills Regulation, 1896”.
In a release, the PPA wondered how the state government was planning to implement the rehabilitation policy for Tibetan refugees when rest of the Indians require Inner Line Permits (ILPs) to enter Arunachal.
“The mad rush to implement the Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy raises many questions. This policy is reviewed every 20 years in the country, but why has this Tibetan issue never been discussed and debated in the Arunachal State Assembly. This attempt of the BJP Government to implement rehabilitation policy for refugees by ignoring the sentiments of the indigenous tribal people of the state will be considered nothing less than political imposition and cultural, spiritual and psychological aggression against the people of this state,” stated PPA General Secretary Kaling Jerang.
The PPA also came down heavily on BJP President Tapir Gao for claiming that implementation of the said policy will not impact Arunachalese.
“The statement of BJP President Tapir Gao that the state government has no separate policy for the Tibetans, but is following the central policy, which is mandatory as India is a signatory of the Geneva Agreement, and reflects his poor vision about the future of the state”, the PPA said.
The regional party also added that in order to implement the said policy in Arunachal Pradesh, the Constitution safeguards the indigenous tribal rights with the Eastern Bengal Frontier Regulation Act, 1873 and Chin Hills Regulation Act, 1896, which shall need fresh Constitutional Amendment in the Parliament of the country.
“Till this is done, any attempt in implementing this policy by the centre and the state governments will be considered undemocratic and unpopular”, the PPA added.