'Rights of Arunachal's indigenous people will be protected'

The Supreme Court had in 2015 directed the central government to grant citizenship to Chakma and Hajong refugees, mostly staying in Arunachal Pradesh. The nearly one lakh refugees came from the erstwhile East Pakistan five decades ago.

The Minister of State for Home Affairs called upon all stakeholders, including the state government and the apex student body All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU), to coordinate their efforts to solve the vexed issue.

"Though we are working in different fields, our sentiments for the interest of the state are same. We need to communicate properly to each other and work harder to solve the refugee issue," Rijiju said at the golden jubilee celebration of AAPSU.

He also blamed the erstwhile Congress government for bringing the Chakmas and Hajongs to the state during their tenure, and urged the AAPSU to play a key role in bringing communal harmony in the state.

In his speech, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal called upon the sister states of the northeast to work in close coordination to fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream for making it a vibrant region.

"Let us all join hands for the development of our region and India," he said quoting the prime minister and appealed to the constituent states of the region to utilise their potential.