Ziro: The Apatani community has chosen to abstain from Union Minister for Earth and Science, Kiren Rijiju’s yoga day program held in Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh.
Despite being invited by the district administration, the community members expressed their resentment towards Rijiju for his failure to address the longstanding demand for the delimitation of the Hapoli Ziro assembly constituency.
The picturesque Sikhe Lake in Ziro served as the venue for the yoga program, attended by several dignitaries, including Rijiju.
However, the Apatani community, represented by apex organizations such as Tani Sukun Dupun (TSD), Apatani Youth Association (AYA), Apatani Women Welfare, Ziro (AWW), and Apatani Students Union (ASU), unanimously decided to boycott the minister’s program.
A sizeable number of youths in Hapoli and Ziro raised black flags and chanted slogans, urging Rijiju to leave Ziro in protest.
Taku Chatung, the President of the Apatani Youth Association, conveyed their collective decision to the media, emphasizing their disappointment with Rijiju’s lack of support in fulfilling their demand for delimitation.
“The Apatani community is dissatisfied with Kiren Rijiju for not advocating for our delimitation request. We have been deprived of our political rights, specifically the representation of two assembly segments in Ziro since the 1980s. This issue has been long overdue,” expressed Chatung.
He further highlighted that despite the formation of two Delimitation Commissions to address the backlog based on the 2001 population census, there has been no sign of support from Rijiju’s side. The community members felt abandoned and neglected, considering they have been consistently electing him since 2004.
Adding to the chorus of discontent, Pura Nado, the President of Apatani Students Union, retorted, “We elected him to represent our concerns in Delhi. If he cannot deliver, we are willing to support another candidate.”
Nado questioned Rijiju’s motives, saying, “During his last visit to Ziro, he promised a positive response regarding delimitation. Then why did he come to Ziro today?”
In response to the community’s grievances, Rijiju cited the state government’s decision in 2008 to forego delimitation in Arunachal. He stated that during the Congress government, it was agreed that delimitation would be implemented after 2026. Rijiju further expressed his willingness to support an increase in seats in the Ziro assembly segment if a proposal is presented.
However, the Standing Delimitation Committee (SDC) strongly criticized Rijiju’s statement, labeling it as misleading and inconsistent with the provisions of the constitution. The SDC accused Rijiju of evading the issue and engaging in political blame games.
“The Delimitation Act of 1950, under Section 8A, clearly states that delimitation should be carried out based on the 2002 Delimitation Act, which relies on the 2001 Census. Rijiju’s attempts to shift blame onto another party are nothing but an attempt to deceive the people of Ziro and the state. At this point, the people of Arunachal and Ziro cannot be fooled or taken for granted,” stated the SDC.
The SDC emphasized that Rijiju’s claim of a 2026 deadline for delimitation implementation is completely false and misleading. It demanded that delimitation be conducted in line with the 2002 Delimitation Act, based on the 2021 Census.