PPA calls for more NE representatives in RS

Itagar, February 10: The People’s Party of Aruchal (PPA) today advocated for more representatives in Rajya Sabha to reduce the gap between the North East region and rest of the country. Addressing the party meeting on the “racial discrimition in India’,  PPA general secretary Kaling Jerang without mentioning the recent controversy over BJP’s vision document calling people from the North-East “immigrants” said that “there is a clear history of misunderstanding, misrecognition between the North East and rest of India because of various asymmetries at work concerning the region.” The PPA observed that the erroneous use of terms like migrants, immigrants against the people of the North East region is because of cultural asymmetry. “It is not just one party, it is the case with most parties, as shown by the attacks on students of the North East. This is a major issue that needs to be tackled,” said Jerang. Pointing out the political asymmetry, the party said it is because of the smaller representation in Parliament from the North East region where each state has only one or two representatives. Jerang said that smaller state should have larger representation in the Upper House of Parliament, as is the case in America, where smaller states are protected. Because of this smaller presentation not much weight is given to the region.  The party further said that the political and cultural asymmetry have been intensified by resources asymmetry, where the North East has been implicitly treated as ‘resources catchment’, beginning with forests, tea, oil, coal of Assam and recently that of Hydro Power in Aruchal Pradesh.