ITANAGAR: The Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) today criticized the Centre's decision to grant citizenship to Chakma and Hajong refugees in the state.
The party demanded the Centre to revive the High Power Standing Committee on refugees constituted during the UPA-II regime.
Addressing reporters here, APCC president Takam Sanjoy while criticizing Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju for putting the blame on the Congress for giving settlement to Chakma and Hajong refugees in the state, said the Congress never granted citizenship to the refugees.
“During 1964, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on humanitarian grounds gave temporary settlement to the Chakmas and Hajongs who were displaced from Bangladesh but there is no written document of the Indira-Mujibur pact as alleged by Rijiju,” he said.
He added that in 1964, Arunachal Pradesh was not a full-fledged state but was known as North East Frontier Agency and was under the control of external affairs ministry.
He also criticized the state government for failing to circulate the minutes of the all-party meeting on Chakma and Hajong even after two months of its commencement.
Referring to the recent decision of the state cabinet to implement the Tibetan Refugee Rehabilitation Policy 2014 in the state, Sanjoy said, “When they are given refugee status they should remain as refugees.”
The APCC also demanded a white paper on the earlier Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy and the recent one.