Himanta rebuts Kiren Rijiju on Chakma-Hajong refugees, says no talks with Centre
- In Reports
- 11:35 PM, Apr 23, 2024
- Myind Staff
On Tuesday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma distanced himself from Union Minister Kiren Rijiju's controversial claims regarding the settlement of Chakma-Hajong refugees from Arunachal Pradesh in Assam. Sarma clarified that the central government had not engaged in discussions with the Assam government on this matter.
His statement comes following Union Minister Kiren Rijiju's remarks that there have been talks to relocate these refugees from Arunachal Pradesh to Assam after the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).
"I don't know what Rijiju has said, but the government of India has not discussed these matters with us. Rijiju might have perhaps said something in view of the political situation in Arunachal Pradesh," Sarma told reporters on the sidelines of a poll campaign meeting.
The CM also added, "No one from Chakma or Hajong communities has met me nor has the government of India discussed it with me. I will speak with Rijiju about the matter after the elections."
“Where do we have the land to settle them? No one from the Chakma-Hajong community has approached me about it, nor has the Centre said anything. I have said that my government will provide permanent residence certificates to Assamese people (around 6000-7000) residing in Arunachal Pradesh” he added.
Rijiju’s remarks have drawn sharp criticism from Congress, which accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of conspiring against Assam’s interests. “This is a dangerous conspiracy against Assam, which was exposed in Rijiju’s press conference. And it shows Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is also involved in it,” Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah said on Tuesday.
“People of Assam will never accept such a proposal and will express their opposition through their votes in the second and third phases of polling,” Borah added, referring to Kiren Rijiju’s comments.
Rijiju, during his re-election campaign for the Arunachal West Lok Sabha seat, made remarks to reporters on Monday, indicating that the Chakma-Hajong refugees of Arunachal Pradesh would be moved to Assam. He further suggested that had there been a Citizenship Amendment Act in effect during the 1960s, these refugees would not have been permitted to settle in Arunachal Pradesh during that period.
“If CAA had been implemented earlier, then the settling of Chakma-Hajong refugees in Arunachal Pradesh between 1964 and 1970 would never have happened,” the union minister for earth sciences and food processing told reporters in Itanagar.
Rijiju added, “We have talked to the Assam government regarding the relocation (of Chakmas-Hajongs) and to identify places where they can be settled...Talks have been held with Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union Home Minister Amit Shah as well to find someplace (in Assam) and help us settle Chakma-Hajong”.
Akhil Gogoi, Chief of Raijor Dal and Sibasagar MLA, strongly criticised Rijiju's statements, questioning whether Assam was being treated as a "dustbin" for foreigners.
Palash Changmai, president of All Assam Yuva Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), an influential student body in Assam, said, “We oppose the conspiracy being hatched to settle Chakma and Hajong residents in Assam. Our outfit will never agree to such a move and will oppose it tooth and nail”.
The Chakmas and Hajongs, who are primarily Buddhists and Hindus, migrated to India between 1964 and 1966 from the Chittagong Hills Tract (CHT) of what was then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). They fled religious persecution and were resettled in the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA), which is now known as Arunachal Pradesh. This resettlement was conducted under a "Definite Plan of Rehabilitation," which involved allocating permanent land and providing financial assistance to help them rebuild their lives.
As per the 2011 Census, there are 47,471 Chakmas and Hajongs in Arunachal Pradesh.
In two rulings, one in 1996 and the other in 2015, the Supreme Court instructed both the central and state governments to safeguard the life and liberty of the Chakmas and Hajongs under Article 21 of the Indian constitution. Furthermore, the court instructed authorities to grant citizenship to those Chakmas and Hajongs who have been left out.
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