“BJP the next government in Arunachal Pradesh”- Mr.Kiren Rijiju

Thirty-seven -year old Kiren Rijiju who was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1994 from Arunachal Pradesh, the largest state in the Northeast which spreads over 83.743 square km and having a population of 10.96,702, had been active in social activities long before he joined the BJP.

He has been elected to the Lok Sabha as a BJP candidate from West Kameng in Arunachal Pradesh along with Gao Tapur and had studied in Hansraj College, a campus college of the Delhi University to obtain his BA degree and later became a law graduate from the Law faculty of the same university. “I am permitted to practice in a court of law although I have yet to permanently join the bar”, he told Eastern Panorama in an exclusive interview at his official residence in South Avenue, New Delhi.

He has emerged as one of the most versatile and articulate speakers for the main opposition parties in the Lok Sabha and is heard with rapt attention by the treasury benches as well as the media whenever he speaks in the House. He always speaks with facts and figures and that is why he is taken seriously by everybody in the 543 Member House which includes two nominated members from the Anglo Indian community. He is well versed in both English and Hindi and is a good speaker in both these languages.

Mr.Rijiju wondered why the Prime Minster Dr Manmohan Singh at the fag end of his tenure has stressed on the need for connecting all the states in the North East by railways. He said “I appreciate the decision announced by the Prime Minister at a function in Delhi to release Vision 20 for the NE. Since the British regime constructed a few meters of railway track in the region to connect it with Assam, not much progress has been made in this regard. It is the center’s apathy to the region which is responsible for the insurgency activities. Extremism and insurgency are related to non development and neglect by the successive Congress led governments at the Centre,”

The Department for the Development of the North East, which has later been upgraded to ministry level, was created by the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. “Unlike the incumbent Prime Minister, Mr. Vajpayee was well versed with the problems of the region long before he was elected to the august office. It is he who also ensured that 10 per cent of the budgetary allocation for each central ministry is spent for the development of the NE,” he said.

The following are excerpts from the interview :

EP: What is your comment on the announcement made by the Prime Minister that all the eight states comprising the North East (including Sikkim) should be linked by railways?

KR: It is appreciated but is a belated announcement .One of the major bottlenecks of the North East is that its connectivity with the rest of the country apart from the region is in a bad shape. The government should have given more attention to it earlier to bring the Northeastern people into the national mainstream.

EP: Since you are from the landlocked state of Arunachal Pradesh, please confirm media reports whether the Chinese from across the international border are violating the territorial integrity of the hilly state?

KR: The reports are based on facts. I had the occasion to bring such incursions on our territory to the notice of the Central Government through Parliament. It has taken up the matter seriously although belatedly for reasons best known to it. It is hoped that such incidents can be the stopped through discussion between the concerned authorities of the two countries and by strengthening border patrolling by the Indian army and para military forces. Infrastructure along the India –China border should be developed appreciably. Allocation of ten per cent of the budgetary grant of each central Ministry for the development of the North East is not adequate for its proper and balanced socio economic regeneration. This amount should be increased substantially and it will be one of the pledges to be made by his party to the electorate of Arunachal Pradesh where general elections to the 60 member assembly will be held next year.

EP: What will be the main issue in the assembly elections?

KR: It will be all round development of the neglected state and rooting out corruption at the administrative level. Not only development has suffered but corruption has also increased under the regime affecting the morale of the concerned people.

Unless there is economic and social development Arunachal Pradesh will not be able to come up into the mainstream and implement the Look East Policy.

EP: Gegong Apang formed the first BJP government in the state. It was also the first ever BJP government in the North East after he had quit the Congress with his supporters. Later however he went back to the Congress and now has almost been abandoned by the party and he feels neglected. Is any there any chance to bring him back to the BJP?

KR: BJP has no such plan to re-induct him .There are many experienced and winnable people who are prepared to contest the assembly elections as BJP candidates. The people of Arunachal Pradesh are fed up with the present regime and are looking for a change and hence, the BJP has better prospects to from the next government.

The BJP will form a nationalist government and may enlist support of some smaller parties to defeat the rudderless and unpopular Congress government, the National Secretary of the BJP said.

Pranab Kumar Chakravarty