Arunachal: AAPSU seeks clarity from CM on month-old memorandum within 7 days

ITANAGAR: The All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU) has written to Chief Minister Pema Khandu seeking clarity within seven days on the status of a 13-point memorandum submitted last month. Despite a detailed discussion between union leaders and the Chief Minister on June 2, AAPSU noted that an official update is still awaited on the progress of the demands, which address critical indigenous issues.

AAPSU President Meje Taku had led a delegation to meet Khandu on June 2, the day the memorandum was submitted, and the two sides discussed each demand at length. A month on, the union says it is yet to receive a formal update from the government.

"We met the Chief Minister in good faith and had a good discussion on every issue. It has been a month now, and we hope to hear back on where things stand," Taku said.

Among the demands is the scrapping of the existing 80:20 recruitment ratio in state government jobs, with AAPSU pushing for mandatory PRC and APST certification in all state recruitment processes. The union has pointed to the 2021 APPSCCE examination, in which a non-APST candidate topped the list, as reason for urgency on the matter.

The memorandum also calls for re-amendment of Article 371(H) to bring Arunachal Pradesh's constitutional safeguards closer to those enjoyed by Nagaland and Mizoram, and the state's inclusion under the Sixth Schedule. It raises the long-pending Chakma-Hajong resettlement issue, seeks early completion of the Assam boundary demarcation, and calls for a central law addressing racial discrimination faced by people from the Northeast in other parts of the country.

Other demands include a dedicated startup package for indigenous youth, a Chief Minister's research fellowship for APST PhD scholars, additional CUET examination centres within the state, a designated ground for peaceful public assembly in Itanagar, and a working women's hostel in the Itanagar Capital Region.

In its letter to the Chief Minister, AAPSU described the issues as matters of "constitutional, demographic, and existential concern to the indigenous people of Arunachal Pradesh," and sought a time-bound update within seven days.

"These issues concern the land, identity, and future of every indigenous Arunachalee, and we remain hopeful of a positive response," Taku said, adding that the union would continue to engage with the government on the matter, stated a press release.

Also read: AAPSU Firmly Rejects ILP Exemption Demand for Assam’s Mising Community in Arunachal Pradesh