GUWAHATI: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has ruffled the feathers of the Chakmas, settled in the state, by calling them “refugees”.
The Chakma Development Foundation of India (CDFI) urged him not to perpetuate prejudices against the Chakmas and the Hajongs by branding them as refugees and stating that they are not eligible for permanent settlement in the state.
Addressing a programme on Monday, Khandu had said now that the Arunachal-Assam border disputes had been resolved, his next target would be to resolve the Chakma issue amicably.
“The Chakmas were sheltered in eastern Arunachal in the 1960s following religious persecution in Bangladesh. A long time has rolled by since. When I visit eastern Arunachal and meet the Chakmas, I feel sad, for they don’t have houses, facilities. They are poor,” the CM had said.
“But Arunachal is a tribal state. We can give shelter to refugees temporarily but we don’t have the arrangements to keep them permanently. There is also no provision in the Constitution to do so,” he said
Khandu further stated that he was talking to some state governments for their “rehabilitation” (read relocation). He said once the places were identified for resettlement, they would be relocated with the help of the state government and the Centre.
“The Chakmas have a future and we want that they don’t face a difficult life. Their lives will not change if they keep staying in Arunachal,” he had stated.
However, CDFI founder Suhas Chakma argued that the Chakmas and the Hajongs were settled in Arunachal by the Union of India and the competent authority of the then North Eastern Frontier Agency (NEFA), from 1964 onwards and those born in NEFA/Arunachal are citizens of India by birth.
“There is no provision in the Constitution empowering any state or Union Territory to declare someone as non-resident and therefore, forcibly remove from its territorial jurisdiction,” he said.
Stating that most of those who had migrated during 1964-1969 are dead, he said the remarks by Khandu that the Chakmas and the Hajongs are refugees and Arunachal is a tribal state protected by the Constitution are incorrect and only “perpetuate the prejudices against a section of the Indian citizens”.
The Buddhist Chakmas and the Hindu Hajongs in Arunachal have an estimated combined population of around 65,000.