ITANAGAR, Feb 14: A day after the joint high power committee (JHPC) submitted its recommendations to the state government regarding issuance of permanent resident certificates (PRC) to the non-APSTs of Namsai and Changlang districts, the All Papum Pare District Students’ Union (APPDSU) and the All Tangsa Students’ Union (ATSU) have declared a boycott of all activities of the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU).
The two unions criticized the JHPC for its recommendations, and said they would boycott all activities of the AAPSU till the issue is resolved. They also demanded that the AAPSU’s president and general secretary resign on moral ground.
Addressing reporters at Arunachal Press Club here on Thursday, APPDSU president Nabam Tado termed the JHPC’s recommendations “nonsensical and illogical,” and said “the report was drafted in haste, without proper research and legal counsel.”
Tado called for reconstituting the JHPC – especially for replacing its chairman Nabam Rebia and member Ninong Ering – and urged the state government not to accept the recommendations.
Referring to the JHPC’s recommendation that PRCs can be recognized and notified as regular passes under Sections 2 and 4 of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) Act, 1873, Tado questioned who gave the JHPC the authority to recognize PRCs as regular inner line permits.
Stating that PRCs have nothing to do with the BEFR Act, Tado said the commission had either totally misunderstood Section 2 of the act or was “trying to abuse the act by wrongly interpreting it.”
Informing that the JHPC also did not invite the APPDSU to place their opinion on the report, Tado claimed that “the committee arbitrarily submitted its final report without taking into the confidence all its members.”
He also expressed objection to the cut-off year, 1968, as the criterion to avail PRCs by non-APSTs, pointing out that setting such a cut-off year would set a precedent for the rest of the non-APSTs residing in other districts since before 1968 to demand PRCs.
Also directing the APPDSU’s resentment against the AAPSU, Tado informed that all the members of the committee were directed to submit their opposition in writing to the committee, but “the AAPSU has not placed a single objection, which is also a violation of the resolution they all adopted during its federal assembly at Tezu.”
Stating that it is the federal units which can “check and balance” the activities of the AAPSU, and that both are answerable and accountable to each other, Tado declared that “the APPDSU will boycott any activities of the AAPSU from now on,” and appealed to the people to “question the intention and silence of the AAPSU on the matter.”
The ATSU also criticized both the JHPC and the AAPSU over the recommendations and appealed to the people of Changlang district, including government officers and the business community, to boycott any activities of the AAPSU and to question the silence of the All Changlang District Students’ Union and the district’s legislators.
ATSU general secretary Samchan Changmu said if the AAPSU or the legislators are unable to place the sentiments of their people or protect the people’s rights, they should resign on moral ground from their posts.
Also accusing the JHPC of partiality, Changmu said if PRCs are to be issued, they should be issued to non-APSTs of all four districts instead of making it applicable only to Namsai and Changlang districts.
Stating that public leaders should not take the ATSU’s patience as weakness, Changmu said the union had confidence in the JHPC’s chairman to do justice and therefore did not stage any democratic activities.
“If bandh calls and agitations are the only criteria to be heard, then we will adopt the same at the earliest,” he said.
Both the unions have demanded that the state government reject the bill and reconstitute the JHPC with academicians, social activists, etc, as members, “instead of someone with a political background.” The also demanded the resignation of the AAPSU’s president and general secretary.
The two unions threatened to launch democratic movements against the JHPC, the state government and the AAPSU if their demands are not met within three days. They also said they would initiate a statewide campaign against Rebia and Ering if they take part in the upcoming elections.
