The allegation of distribution of contract works based on party affiliation which has come from Tawang district is nothing new in the context of Arunachal Pradesh. Congress workers have alleged that BJP supporters not only passed derogatory remarks against them but also assaulted a senior Congress worker. Though the BJP has dismissed the allegation, the people of the state are not buying its explanation. The practice of distributing government contract works, and sometimes even various government subsidy programmes, is very rampant in the state. Those on the losing side are treated like pariahs by the ruling party leaders and their supporters.
This practice badly affects the developmental projects. As the ruling party members do not allow opposition workers to get any contract works, it leads to bitter fights. Opposition members also file cases in the court over being wrongly denied projects. Such ugly fights only halt the progress of major projects. Also, Chief Minister Pema Khandu has been making all the right noises about the need to eradicate corruption and work together as ‘Team Arunachal’. It is time for the CM to turn his words into reality. As the saying goes, charity begins at home. Khandu should start from his home district. Let the government contract works in Tawang be given strictly on the basis of tenders, without any political interference. Let there be no discrimination based on party lines. If the CM fails to implement what he preaches in his own home district, the rest of the state will not take his words seriously.