Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during an election rally on Sunday announced that the government of Assam will now issue the people of Assamese origin who are residing in Arunachal Pradesh permanent residence certificates (PRC). This will help these people get government jobs and also avail engineering and medical seats in the colleges. Sarma did not specify who these Assamese origin people were while making the announcement. Is he talking about Assamese people who are working in the state, or he is talking about non-APSTs settled in districts like Namsai and Changlang who all trace their origin to Assam?
In 2019, based on the recommendation of the joint high power committee, the state government decided to issue PRCs to non-APSTs settled in Namsai and Changlang. These people lived in the areas before the state of Arunachal was created. The decision backfired and led to widespread protests, rocking the state for days. Since then, the government has decided not to issue PRCs to them. The Assam CM should clarify whether he is speaking about these people. Such kind of announcements without clarity can create confusion among the people. After the elections, the new government should pursue the matter with the Assam government and seek clarification in this regard.