A CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: The National People's Party -Arunachal Unit has opposed the visit of National Commission for Minorities (NCM) Member Rinchen Lhamo to villages of the Chakma community claiming them to the refugees.
Speaking to the media, General Secretary- NPP (Arunachal) Paknga Bage stated ' before visiting the state, Lhamo should have studied the Chakma-Hajong issue in the state. Such visits and giving unacceptable statements would create more unrest in the state'.
Chakmas are refugees and their citizenship status is still pending the Supreme Court, so visiting their settlement area in the name of minorities will definitely hurt the sentiments of indigenous people.
Moreover, there are dozens of indigenous tribe in the state who are minorities in terms of both religion and population in comparison to the Chakma refugees, but NCM Member has only visited the refugee's settlement areas only, asserted Bage while adding that, "we don't have any objection on her visit to any areas on her personal level, but when she is visiting the state officially as NCM Member she should know the ground reality that state is 100% ST as well as resides by the religious minority".
NPP further urged the NCM member to withdraw her statement to support - the Chakma community, and raise their concern at the state and national levels for not providing proper facilities for the Minority status.
State Secretary - Legal & Legislative Affair-NPP (AP) Pura Khonkhung, said "as per her statement, she has visited Buddhist minority areas, whereas similar religious minority community is in Tawang, West Kameng, Namsai indeed whole Arunachal Pardesh is a minority state that needs basic facilities but she ignored them".
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