Chinese incursions dominate Arunachal polls

Probably for the first time, people across the nation are aware of the fact that along with Maharashtra and Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh is also going in for assembly polls, thanks to Chinese intrusions.

Arun Chaubey
Elections in the north eastern states are, generally, hardly noticed in the rest of India but this time around, people are aware of the fact that along with Maharashtra and Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh is also going in for assembly polls, thanks to the reports of Chinese intrusion in border areas. Arunachal Pradesh, which shares a long border with Bhutan, China and Myanmar, is considered the most peaceful among the North Eastern states. The state, famous for its snow-capped mountains in the north and the plains of the Brahamaputra Valley in the south, has a 60-member legislature for which three MLAs have already been elected unopposed. Since Congress party has always dominated the state politics, BJP, NCP, Trinamool and the regional parties are trying to corner it mainly on the issue of Chinese intrusion as also over other issues like development, corruption, healthcare, education and unemployment. Although Trinamool Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are major allies of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at Centre, they are raking up the Chinese incursion issue in assembly elections even though Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu has maintained that Chinese claims over the state are baseless. The issue came to the fore following reports of Chinese intrusion in the J-K sector and soon after Bejing`s opposition to the Dalai Lama`s visit to Arunachal Pradesh irked local sentiments. The state shares a 1,030-km unfenced border with China. India inherited a border dispute with China from British colonial rulers, who, in 1914, hosted a conference with the Tibetan and Chinese governments that set the border in what is now Arunachal Pradesh. China has never recognised the McMahon Line and claims 90,000 sq km of area, nearly all of Arunachal Pradesh. After the 1962 war between India and China, tensions again flared in 1986 with the forces of the two nations clashing in the Sumdorong Chu valley of Arunachal. Chinese troops had reportedly built a helipad in the valley, leading to fresh skirmishes. With all the opposition parties making the Chinese threat an election issue in the state, the BJP too is not sparing any effort on its part in highlighting it, charging the Central government with downplaying the incidents. BJP, which will contest only on 30 seats, seems to be desperate as it had 9 MLAs in the outgoing assembly but all of them, including the Leader of the Opposition Kameng Dolo, defected to the Congress in 2007. Besides, its former Lok Sabha member Kiren Rijiju, a very popular leader projected by BJP its chief ministerial candidate, also crossed over to Congress, leaving the party in an embarrassing situation. Trinamool Congress and NCP are fighting against the ruling Congress separately. The NCP is putting up 30 candidates while the Trinamool Congress is fielding 28. The state Trinamool chief, Kito Sora, added that ten of their candidates are sitting MLAs, who have been denied tickets by Congress. Criticising the Central government, senior NCP leader L Wanglet said, "Time and again China is staking claim over Arunachal Pradesh and the response by the Central government is seen to be rather muted. We want a very bold stand from New Delhi." Assam and Arunachal border issue Besides Chinese incursions, the boundary issue between Assam and Arunachal is also to affect a few seat results. In January, both the state governments decided to maintain peace and harmony along their border. The issue cropped up in the wake of a clash at Maynajuli in Lakhimpur district, following the alleged eviction of Arunachalees on December 29. However, in another meeting, the All Assam Students Union (AASU), the All Arunachal Nishi Students Union and the All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union decided to amicably resolve differences between the people of the two states. Soon after their meet, the "Quit Assamese" notice served by the Nishi Students Union in the border areas was withdrawn and the student bodies urged the respective state governments to solve the long standing border dispute. But in the assembly election, the issue is likely to be utilized politically. Tirade against separatist outfits Although Arunachal is considered the most peaceful region in the North East, there are reports of infiltration of militant groups like United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) using the mountainous terrain, to carry out strikes. Besides, there are also reports of National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) having its base in the districts of Changlang and Tirasp. Harassment of local people, extortions and kidnappings are common in this region. It seems that the separatist organizations are using Arunachal as a transit point. Amidst this scenario, different political parties are trying hard to put across their message among the electorate to prove their worth. Also, illiteracy and corruption are other minor issues in the state polls as Arunachal’s literacy rate is only 54.74% with the Kurung Kumey district recording a rate as low as 25.7%. While many candidates in the fray are crorepatis, there are hundreds of villages in the state which have no roads, electricity, drinking water and health-care centers.