ITANAGAR, Jul 11: The Peoples’ Party of Arunachal (PPA) on Thursday expressed support to the state government’s decision to seek exclusion of Arunachal from the purview of the citizenship amendment bill (CAB).
Chief Minister Pema Khandu had made the announcement in the legislative assembly on 9 July.
“This decision on the CAB by the chief minister is crucial for the future generation of the state of Arunachal, especially when the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) Act, 1873, was recently challenged through a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court,” the party stated in a press release.
Highlighting the petition for removal of the inner line permit (ILP) system from Nagaland, which was dismissed by the SC, the PPA said, “the PIL on the ILP is a matter of serious concern as the legality of the issue comes from the spirit of the BEFR Act and the existence of Arunachal Pradesh and its safety from the onslaught of outsiders is totally dependent on the preservation of this act.
“Though the PIL was on the ILP system in Nagaland, it is a challenge to the right of Arunachal also, which is equally safeguarded by the prevailing law of the regulation act of 1873,” the party said, and argued that “the application of the CAB in the Northeast will be fatal and dangerous for the future generations.”
Terming the CM’s stand against the implementation of the CAB “a landmark decision,” the PPA sought support to it from “all political parties, intellectuals and stakeholders of the state.”
