The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) hit out at the Arunachal Pradesh BJP for issuing election tickets to two non-Arunachalees in Changlang district to contest the ensuing panchayat polls.
Condemning the decision of the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the AAPSU said it has been apprising the state government to “exclude non-Aruanchalees from the electoral process of local bodies and delete their names from the voting list; however, the same has fallen on deaf ears”.
“To worsen the situation, the ruling BJP government is playing with the sentiments of the people by issuing party tickets to non-indigenous persons which is like throwing bleach on the rights of the indigenous people of the state,” a statement from the union said on Sunday.
Though the temporary settlers and refugees have been settled in the state with certain privileges, they, however, share no equal rights with the indigenous people, the union said while appealing to the political parties of the state not to issue any election tickets to non-Aruanchalees.
Further demanding the BJP to immediately withdraw the election tickets issued to the two non-Aruanchalee ZPM candidates within two days, the AAPSU said it shall initiate a rigorous democratic movement across Changlang district and then the state if its demand is not met.
Panchayat and municipal elections are all set to be held simultaneously in the state on December 22 after a delay of over two years.
According to the candidates’ list doing rounds on social media, the state BJP has selected Punaram Gogoi and Sujata Rai as the party’s ZPM candidates for the Diyun and Vijoynagar zilla parishads.
BJP state president Biyuram Waghe could not be contacted for his comments on the matter.