New Delhi: The Dalai Lama’s ongoing visit to Arunachal Pradesh as part of his Northeast tour found a mention in Lok Sabha on Friday when a Congress MP from the state Ninong Ering sought to know as to what locus standi does Beijing have to tell what India or Arunachal should do or not do, as the spiritual leader is India’s guest.
Mr Ering, an MP from Arunachal East, while participating in a private member’s legislation in Lok Sabha, which seeks amendment to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India, said that the “Northeast is a sensitive area... and even on this present day, you would see that even China has got its claim on Arunachal Pradesh. Who is China to say what Arunchal has to do or not to do, or what the Central Government has to do or not to do? His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a friend of us, he is a guest of us, and he has taken refuge in India. We still recognise him as the leader of the Tibetan Council”.
Mr Ering also touched upon the issue of racial discrimination vis-a-vis the students of Northeast and stressed on the need for having more stringent laws to prevent such incidents. “What I want to say here is that the people really have to understand what the Northeast is. You have to study our culture and you have to understand the sentiments and feelings of the people of the Northeast.”
We should be excluded from the racial discrimination that is taking place. Recently, there have been incidents in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi where the north-eastern children are always been victimised and always the question of racial discrimination comes. I have seen that. When anything happens in Australia or in the United States, where one of our Indians are discriminated, how do we feel? Similarly, the people and the children of the North East feel that discrimination sometimes. For that we have to have stringent laws. That is why, I really appreciate Vincent Pala who has brought this Bill forward,” Mr Ering said.
Vincent Pala of the Congress had moved the bill to further amend the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India in its application to constitution of District Councils and powers of the District Councils and Regional Councils.
