New Delhi: In a complete U-turn of its position on the contentious issue of granting citizenship to Chakma and Hajong refugees settled in Arunachal Pradesh, the government said on Tuesday that it will tell the Supreme Court that its order to give citizenship to the refugees is not implementable.
Minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju said Arunachal Pradesh is a protected territory and if citizenship is given to Chakma and Hajong refugees, it will create an imbalance in the social structure of the state.
Mr Rijiju’s assertion negates the decision taken last week at a meeting chaired by home minister Rajnath Singh to grant citizenship to around one lakh refugees from the two communities, honouring the Supreme Court’s 2015 order.
At present, the refugees don’t have citizenship and land rights but are provided basic amenities by the state government. After the meeting chaired by Mr Singh on September 14, the Central government appeared keen on giving the refugees Inner Line permits, required for non-locals in Arunachal Pradesh to travel and work.
The meeting chaired by Mr Singh was also attended by chief minister and national security advisor Ajit Doval, besides Mr Rijiju.
Soon after that meeting, Mr Rijiju had tried to give a political spin to the controversy by blaming the Congress for the tricky situation.
He had said a “middle ground” would be adopted so that the 2015 Supreme Court order to grant citizenship to
Chakma and Hajong refugees could be honoured without diluting the rights of the local population.
“The Supreme Court order has to be honoured. Chakmas have been settled in Arunachal Pradesh since 1964. But Scheduled Tribe status and indigenous people’s rights won’t be diluted,” he said.
He had claimed that the Centre will approach the court to modify its order so that rights of the native people of Arunachal Pradesh are protected.
The change in the government’s stand appears to be a course correction following objection by Mr Khandu and civil society members who are not ready to accept any infringement on the constitutional protection bestowed on the tribals of the state.
Mr Rijiju said, “According to the Constitution, Arunachal Pradesh enjoys a special status and as an MP from Arunachal, I have to stand by my people and protect their rights.”
“Granting any citizenship to these communities will disturb the demography of this tribal state and violate the constitutional rights of the tribals. We need to inform the Supreme Court that Chakmas and Hajongs have entered illegally and stayed in settlement camps,’’ the minister said.
Mr Rijiju claimed that media had “misrepresented’’ his comments on the issue that the Centre will appeal in the Supreme Court to make its order “implementable”.
“We will seek a modification in the order and urge the Supreme Court that this anomaly has to be rectified,’’ Mr Rijiju added.
The minister also said that the settlement of refugees from the erstwhile East Pakistan in the 1960s was a violation of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873, currently known as Inner Line Permit, as an outsider has to take special permission before visiting Arunachal Pradesh.
