The majority of the community-based organizations (CBO) that attended the consultative meeting on preservation of culture, tradition, customary practices and protection available within the constitution of India, organized by the political department at the Dorjee Khandu convention hall, Itanagar, on Wednesday rejected the idea of forming autonomous councils. Led by the Arunachal Indigenous Tribes Forum (AITF), the CBOs made their voice clear in opposing the demand for autonomous councils. The representatives from the Mon and the Patkai regions defended their demand for autonomy. Now the onus lies on the government of Arunachal.
The majority has said no and, hopefully, the message is clear to the state government. However, many of the CBOs placed the issues concerning their respective tribes to the government. Some of these are genuine and need to be addressed. No one should feel left out. The concerns of every tribe should be taken into consideration. The state government did the right thing by conducting such a consultative meeting. In a democracy, this should be the way forward. Every issue should be resolved through consultations and discussions. Now everyone will be waiting to hear what Chief Minister Pema Khandu will decide. There is pressure on him from the Mon region, which he represents, to press ahead with the autonomy move, but equal pressure is being exerted by the rest of the state to give up the idea. It’s a big call and in all probability his decision on the autonomous issue will shape the future of the present government.