SHILLONG, Sep 6: Flagging concern over the plan to deport thousands of Chakma and Hajong tribals who are currently residing in Arunachal Pradesh, the United Hajong Community Development Organisation of Tura has registered strong opposition to the proposed move while seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention.
In a statement issued here on Monday, the organisation said that it condemns and rejects the announcement made by Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Pema Khandu on August 15 this year, in which he talked about the state’s intention of settling the Chakmas and Hajongs outside Arunachal Pradesh.
The organisation has also turned down the statement made in various public meetings by the Union Law Minister, Kiren Rijiju, as stated by the Delhi-based Chakma Development Foundation of India (CDFI), that, “the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, was enacted to undo the Supreme Court’s judgement of 1996, which clearly grants the Chakmas and the Hajongs Citizenship in Arunachal Pradesh”.
The Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 turned into an Act on the 12th of December, 2019.
Its aim is to provide Indian Citizenship to the non-Muslims illegal migrants who belong to one of the following six minority communities, viz. Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, Christian and Sikh from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Pakistan who had arrived in India before December 31, 2014.
“All the Hajongs of the organisation strongly and wholeheartedly support the justifications made by Suhas Chakma, CDFI, in The Shillong Times, dated 24th of August, 2021 (Garo Hills Edition), against the deportation plan of the Chakma and Hajong tribal communities belonging to Arunachal Pradesh, even after being granted citizenship in Arunachal Pradesh by the Supreme Court,” B Ch. Hajong, president of the United Hajong Community Development Organisation, Tura, said.
“The organisation urges upon the central government, specifically Hon’ble Prime Minister, Narendra Modi Ji, Home Minister Amit Shah Ji, and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat Ji, and Assam Chief Minister Hemanta Biswa Sarma Ji and Tripura Chief Misnister Biplab Kumar Deb Ji, to attend to the concerns being expressed by Suhas Chakma and Nilondra Tanya and settle once and for all the prevailing discontent of the Arunachal Pradesh government on the Chakmas and the Hajongs being marginalised ethnic group to help us live in peace with our Arunachalese brethren,” he added.
