Source: Twitter
Guwahati, Apr 24: A fresh debate has brewed in the State after Union minister Kiren Rijiju had remarked that the Chakma and Hajong refugees in Arunachal Pradesh would be relocated to Assam on the strength of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. The development has now drawn sharp reactions from various quarters, especially political circles of the State.
Rijiju, during a recent press conference, claimed that he had even spoken with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in this regard and the process to identify land has also commenced Sarma on Tuesday, however, denied any such development. The Central government has not discussed any- thing over the relocation of Chakma and Hajong refugees of Arunachal Pradesh in Assam, he said.
"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.
Raijor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi said, "Sarma should clarify whether he has received any such instruction from the Government of India or Amit Shah. And if Rijiju is lying, Sarma should force him to apologise publicly."
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.
"Since Rijiju is a sitting MP, we consider his comments as the Union government's stand on the issue. It is now clear that the Centre is conspiring to shift the burden of refugees from Arunachal Pradesh to Assam. Although Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has refuted Rijiju's claim, the latter's comment on the issue holds significance. If this remains the trend, Assam will have to bear the burden of refugees from other states as well," Raijor Dal leader Bhasco De Saikia said.
The Assam Jatiya Parishad also opposed any potential resettlement of Chakma and Hajong refugees in Assam and added that any such attempt would be met with staunch resistance.
“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. AJP general secretary Jagadish Bhuyan accused the BJP government of orchestrating a conspiracy to undermine the interests of Assam's indigenous communities. The regional party also raised concerns regarding the lack of transparency in implementation of CAA in Assam.
CPI(M) Assam State committee secre- tary Suprakash Talukdar also criticized the remarks of Rijiju. "What will be Assam's situation if such a thing happens? Assam BJP president Bhabesh Kalita had stated that at least 20 lakh people will apply for citizenship in Assam under the CAA. And now Rijiju has said they (Arunachal Pradesh) have already spoken with the Union Home Minister and with the Assam Chief Minister so that the Chakma and Hajong refugees could be settled in Assam... 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.
More than 60,000 members of Hajong and Chakma communities are currently staying in Arunachal Pradesh since 1960s.
On the "so-called" relocation of the Chakmas and Hajongs, CDFI founder Suhas Chakma claimed, "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."
The CDFI leader further claimed that about 95 per cent of Chakmas and Hajongs of Arunachal Pradesh are citizens of the country and "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."
If anyone tries to forcibly relocate Chakmas and Hajongs, they shall face contempt proceedings for violation of the 1996 Supreme Court judgement in the case of National Human Rights Commission vs State of Arunachal Pradesh, Chakma said.
It may be mentioned that Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu had in 2023 stated that after resolving the Assam-Arunachal boundary dispute, he will resolve the Chakma-Hajong problem by distributing them in different states of India, as Chakmas and Hajongs being refugees cannot be permanently settled in Arunachal, which is protected as a tribal state under the Constitution.
However, Khandu's statement was strongly opposed by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Chakma-Hajong CBOs, the apex umbrella body representing the collective voice of the Chakma and Hajong people. It had stated that Chakmas and Hajongs were already relocated to NEFA (North East Frontier Agency, now Arunachal Pradesh) 57 years ago and that they "would prefer to live and die in Arunachal Pradesh".
"While the government's intent to permanently resolve the long-pending Chakma-Hajong issue is laudable," the JAC had said that it is against any relocation or false and misleading premise that Chakmas and Hajongs were given "temporary shelter" as refugees in Arunachal Pradesh.
"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," the JAC claimed.
