ITANAGAR, Aug 17: The Arunachal Pradesh AboTani Clans Youth Organization (APATCYO) has termed the Mon Autonomous Region Demand Committee’s (MARDC) demand for a Mon autonomous council “complete misutilization of the 6th schedule of the constitution,” and said it would result in rise in conflicts between various groups, communities and tribes.
In a memorandum it submitted to the chief minister on Monday, the APATCYO extended support to the All Nyishi Students’ Union and said, “The 6th schedule provides rights for autonomous council in order to safeguard the practice of traditional and customary laws, but Arunachal Pradesh, being a tribal state, already enjoys those rights. So, there is no requirement of autonomous council.”
“The community-based demand for autonomous council reflects that the Mon community does not want to stay in harmony with other tribes of the state. The demand is discriminatory and will give rise to many more tribes to claim for the same and fight over who gets it first,” the organization said.
The APATCYO further stated that the proposed area for the Mon autonomous council shares boundaries with Lada and Bana circles of East Kameng district, which are inhabited by the Nyishi community “and the MARDC has not even tried to gain the confidence of the neighbouring Nyishi community.
“This implies that they do not respect the sentiment of the Nyishi community,” the organization said, and added that if the state government plans to go ahead with the demand, then the Nyishi community must also be given an autonomous council within the same timeframe.
The organization also strongly appealed to the state government to provide sufficient funds to the Tani-inhabited areas, and to make public the financial position of the state government.
