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Sharp reactions have now been provoked by the development from several sources, particularly State political circles.
Digital Desk: A fresh debate has emerged in the State following remarks made by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju that the Chakma and Hajong refugees in Arunachal Pradesh would be relocated to Assam on the strength of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.
Sharp reactions have now been provoked by the development from several sources, particularly State political circles. Rijiju stated at a recent news conference that he had discussed this matter with both Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, adding that the process to identify land had also begun. On Tuesday, however, Sarma denied any such information. According to him, the resettlement of Chakma and Hajong refugees from Arunachal Pradesh in Assam has not been discussed by the central government.
"Where is the land to re- locate them in Assam? Neither anyone from the Chakma or Hajong refugees nor Rijiju had any discussion with me. I will speak to Rijiju once the elections are over," the Chief Minister said on the sidelines of a political rally. Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhupen Borah while terming the development as "detrimental to the cause of the State", alleged that Rijiju's comments have clearly exposed the conspiracy being hatched against Assam, to which the Chief Minister is privy.
MLA and president of Raijor Dal Akhil Gogoi stated: "Sarma needs to make it clear if he has had any such instructions from Amit Shah or the Indian government. Furthermore, Sarma ought to make Rijiju issue a public apology if he is lying." All Assam Students' Union chief advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya also reiterated their stand against the CAA. "We are continuing with our democratic fight as well as legal fight. And it is a positive thing that the North East Students' Organisation is at the lead in opposing the Act for the entire region," he said.
"We consider Rijiju's remarks as the Union government's stand on the matter because he is a current Member of Parliament. It's evident now that the Center is planning to move the refugees from Arunachal Pradesh to Assam. Rijiju's assertion has been denied by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, yet his remarks on the matter are noteworthy. If this pattern continues, Assam would also have to deal with the influx of refugees from neighboring states, Leader of the Raijor Dal Bhasco De Saikia stated
In addition, the Assam Jatiya Parishad warned that any attempt to resettle Chakma and Hajong refugees in Assam will encounter fierce opposition.
“The Chief Minister's denial of the reported discussion is mere eyewash. Rijiju's statement on camera, proves that the discussion between a Union minister and the Chief Minister of Assam has taken place," AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi said. The BJP government is allegedly planning a plot to subvert the rights of Assam's indigenous communities, according to AJP general secretary Jagadish Bhuyan. The regional party expressed concerns on the deficiency in transparency in the execution of the CAA in Assam.
Assam State Committee Secretary for the CPI(M), Suprakash Talukdar, also criticised Rijiju's remarks. "What will be Assam's situation if such a thing happens? According to Assam BJP chief Bhabesh Kalita, the CAA would see at least 20 lakh individuals petition for citizenship in Assam. And now, Rijiju has stated that Arunachal Pradesh has already discussed the settlement of the Chakma and Hajong refugees in Assam with the Chief Minister of Assam and the Union Home Minister. Such a dangerous thing has now been disclosed in public," he said.
Chakmas, who are Buddhists, and Hajongs, who are Hindus, migrated to India between 1964 and 1966 from the Chittagong Hills Tract of then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) to escape religious persecution, and were settled in the North East Frontier Agency, which is now Arunachal Pradesh.
Since the 1960s, around 60,000 people from the Hajong and Chakma communities have resided in Arunachal Pradesh.
"Home Minister Amit Shah never made a statement, while the Prime Minister’s Office had specifically directed Arunachal Pradesh (on earlier occasion) to stop the census of only Chakmas and Hajongs because it amounts to racial profiling," asserted CDFI founder Suhas Chakma regarding the "so-called" relocation of the Chakmas and Hajongs.
Additionally, the CDFI leader asserted that approximately 95% of Arunachal Pradesh's Chakmas and Hajongs are citizens of the nation and that "no government has the authority or power to relocate a citizen from one place to another place against their will or separate the families simply because the state has not processed the citizenship applications."
In 1996, the Supreme Court ruled in the matter of National Human Rights Commission v. State of Arunachal Pradesh. Chakma stated that anyone attempting to forcefully relocate Chakmas and Hajongs will be subject to contempt proceedings.
It should be noted that Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu had declared in 2023 that, following the resolution of the Assam-Arunachal boundary dispute, he would distribute the Chakma-Hajong population throughout various Indian states in order to address the issue. This was necessary because, as refugees, the Chakmas and Hajongs could not be permanently settled in Arunachal, which is constitutionally protected as a tribal state.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Chakma-Hajong CBOs, the highest umbrella organization representing the combined voice of the Chakma and Hajong people, sharply disagreed with Khandu's remarks. It had said that Hajongs and Chakmas "would prefer to live and die in Arunachal Pradesh" and that they had previously been sent 57 years earlier to NEFA (North East Frontier Agency, which is now Arunachal Pradesh).
"Arunachal Pradesh has provided Chakmas and Hajongs with "temporary shelter" as refugees; however, the JAC had stated that it is against any relocation or false and misleading premise that the government's intent to permanently resolve the long-pending Chakma-Hajong issue is commendable."
"No doubt Chakmas and Hajongs came as refugees in 1960s, but once they were accepted and permanently settled with land, government jobs, trade licences, ration cards, etc., and established their hearth and homes in NEFA, they were already recognised as de facto citizens of India," according to the JAC.
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