ITANAGAR, Oct 18: After a gruelling 7-hour long discussion, State Assembly unanimously adopted the resolution (amendment) on immediate steps to protect the territorial and consequential rights of its tribal population with regards to the granting of citizenship to Chakma & Hajong.

Participating in the discussion, Chief Minister Pema Khandu assured the house that Chakma-Hajong issue will end here once and for all.

The Chakma- Hajong issue is like cancer and it should end here from today. Stating that he informed the house that resolution taken today will be intimated to the Government of India.

While quoting the Advocate General’s statement Khandu  said ‘ Supreme Court has not given a judgment to give citizenship to the Chakma & Hajong but only to dispose the pending  application filed  before  the state government for citizenship.

As of now more than 5000 application has been received but none of the application satisfies all the conditions laid down section under 5(1)(a) of the Citizenship Act.

While participating in the Assembly to clarify the various doubts and legal aspects, Advocate General informed the house that in the Supreme Court judgment it has nowhere written that Chakma-Hajong Refugees should be given Citizenship but it has directed the Centre to evaluate all the applications seeking citizenship.

‘The doors are still open we need political will and political unity,’ stated the Advocate General while informing the petition on ILP is still pending in the court.

He further suggested the house not to use ‘refugee’ term for the Chakma-Hajong as they are not refugees but displaced peoples. As per norms they have to seek rehabilitation and citizenship rights from the government they come from. ‘To get citizenship one needs to have travel documents or passport if not then they are illegal migrants and as per the constitution illegal migrants cannot be given citizenship’.

Earlier, Chief Minister Pema Khandu moved The Arunachal Pradesh (Re-Organization Of District) (Amendment )Bill -2017 and with passing of this bill a new district ‘Kamle’ by bifurcating Upper Subansiri and Lower Subansiri was created today.

 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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