A CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: The Tai Khamti Singpho Council (TKSC) has condemned recent statements issued by the Arunachal ST Bachao Andolan Committee questioning the tribal identity of Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein.
The Namsai district unit of the ST Bachao Andolan Committee has also distanced itself from the statements issued by the central unit, stating that they were not consulted prior to their release.
Addressing the media at the Arunachal Press Club here on Saturday, Chau Siharaja Chautang, President of the Tai Khamti Development Committee (TKDC), refuted the allegations against Deputy Chief Minister Mein, stating that he is a respected member of the Tai Khamti community.
The ST Bachao Andolan Committee had claimed that Deputy Chief Minister Mein's actual surname is "Gohain," implying that he is not an Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe (APST). The TKSC strongly condemned these allegations as baseless and detrimental to the community's reputation.
Chautang emphasized that Deputy Chief Minister Mein's family has a long and distinguished history of service to the Tai Khamti community and Arunachal Pradesh. His grandfather, Chai Chali Mein, was a renowned public leader and businessman who played a significant role in the community's development during British India.
His father, Chau Puk Mein, was elected to the Lohit Zilla Parishad in 1969. Notably, his late brother, CT Mein, was the first MLA from the Tai Khamti community, elected in 1972.
Chautang appealed to the public and other organizations to refrain from spreading misinformation and to seek clarification from the TKSC on any matters concerning the Tai Khamti community.
"We are pained by the repeated allegations levelled against our core community members despite previous clarifications. Therefore, we appeal to the public, as well as organizations, to not mislead the public with misinformation," he said, adding that any information related to any community members should be rooted through TKSC, which is the apex community body.
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