GUWAHATI: The BJP in Arunachal Pradesh has thrown its weight behind the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, framing it as a shield for the state's smaller tribes against "outsiders".
The state has 26 major tribes and more than 120 sub-tribes, some with a population of only a few thousand. Most of these communities see the SIR as a shield to protect their land, culture and identity against numerically larger "outsiders", the party's position suggests.
Speaking at a party meeting in East Kameng district on Monday, BJP state general secretary Tadar Niglar stressed the importance of the SIR in maintaining correct, updated voters' lists. "Electoral roll revision is a structured process and should not be misrepresented as an arbitrary exercise," he said. "Procedural safeguards involved in SIR demonstrate the importance of verification, transparency and opportunities for eligible voters to raise claims or objections before the final roll is published."
Arunachal has seen tension between the Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribes (APSTs) and non-APSTs in areas bordering Assam. It also went through a tense phase during the SIR exercise in areas inhabited by the Buddhist Chakmas and Hindu Hajongs, who were settled in the 1960s after displacement in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.
Niglar also criticised the protests staged by the Cockroach Janata Party and the Congress-led INDIA bloc, calling their "disruptive actions" politically motivated.