Protest in Arunachal over 'Chinese village'; students' body accuses sucessive Central Govts of not taking issue seriously

Itanagar: The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) on Thursday staged a protest over China reportedly establishing a village in the Upper Subansiri district of the state. The apex students’ body of the state along with 16 of its federal units and community-based organisation staged a sit-in at Indira Gandhi Park in Itanagar, demanding the Centre to"act tough" on the issue. The union, armed with banners and placards, condemned the nefarious activities of China and slammed the Centre for remaining “silent” over the issue. Speaking to reporters, AAPSU president Hawa Bagang blamed the Centre for its “failure in protecting” the state from “foreign incursion”. “The AAPSU is ready to fight against the Chinese military if the central government authorises,” Bagang said. Bagang urged the MPs from the state to be vocal on such matters, concerning the interest of Arunachal Pradesh and its people. He also appealed to the Central Government for road and telecommunication connectivity in the border areas, besides releasing developmental packages and increasing military deployment in the frontier state. “The symbolic protest is a message to the Centre that the indigenous people of the state reject the repeated claim of China over the state’s territory,” AAPSU general secretary Tobom Dai said. The people of the state are frustrated against the lackadaisical attitude of the Centre towards such serious issues, he said. Stating that China’s claim over the state’s territory is an old issue, Dai blamed the successive central governments led by the Congress and the BJP for not taking the matter seriously. North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) coordinator Pritam Bhai Sonam urged the government for collective measures and not to play the blame game when the issue is of national interest.