The Arunachal Pradesh government on Friday formed a nine-member committee to discuss and arrive at a possible solution to the touchy issue of creation of two autonomous councils in the State.
The panel headed by Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein has seven Cabinet colleagues, including Home Minister Bamang Felix and Tribal Affairs Minister Alo Libang, as members. The ninth member is Home Commissioner Kaling Tayeng.
The committee, an official order said, has been tasked with consulting all the community-based organisations “on the issues related to constitutional safeguards for the indigenous people of the State” and submit a report. The first meeting is expected to be held in State capital Itanagar on August 19.
Larger ethnic groups such as the Nyishi and Galo inhabiting the central parts of Arunachal Pradesh expressed concern over the bid to revive the demands for Mon Autonomous Region (MAR) and Patkai Autonomous Council (PAC). They slammed Chief Minister Pema Khandu for “raking up” the issue by attending an event in Tawang where the MAR demand was allegedly raised.
The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union, the apex organisation of students in the State, has been critical of the demands too.
MAR envisages autonomy for the western part of Arunachal Pradesh comprising Tawang, West Kameng and parts of East Kameng districts. Tawang is Mr Khandu’s home turf.
PAC encompasses three eastern districts – Tirap, Changlang and Longding – where various factions of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) are active.
The 60-member Arunachal Pradesh Assembly had in 2004 adopted a resolution for the creation of MAR and PAC that anti-autonomy groups say are being backed by external forces.
While MAR is seen as an “encouragement for China” to be more vocal about claims over Arunachal Pradesh, the Isak-Muivah faction of NSCN is believed to be fuelling the PAC movement to eventually make it a part of Greater Nagalim or the sovereign Naga homeland.
Mr Khandu on August 5 proposed discussions on the autonomy issue following resentment from several quarters over the push for MAR and PAC.
Political parties, social and students’ organisations have pointed out that the autonomy demand was meaningless as Arunachal Pradesh is a Fifth Schedule State where “indigenous communities do not enjoy the kind of rights” their counterparts enjoy in other north-eastern States governed by the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
“Demanding Sixth Schedule status for entire Arunachal Pradesh to ensure equal rights and ownership of resources for all communities is the way forward instead of compartmentalising the State into autonomous zones,” the Galo Students’ Union had said a few days ago.
