Staff REPORTER
ITANAGAR, Feb 2: The Indigenous Youth Force of Arunachal (IYFA) and the All Naharlagun Youth Organisation (ANYO) have decided to work in collaboration with each other, independently of the Arunachal Pradesh Indigenous Youth Organisation (APIYO), on issues related to the demolition of alleged illegal Jama Masjid and Madrasa structures, unlawful immigration, and unregulated weekly markets in the Itanagar Capital Region (ICR).
The decision was announced by IYFA president Kamta Pasang during a press conference held at the Arunachal Press Club here on Monday. Pasang said the move to function independently was taken following differences with APIYO over the announcement of the proposed ‘Delhi Chalo Abhiyan’.
He stated that IYFA and ANYO considered the announcement of the agitation inappropriate, as the state government had already taken cognisance of the issue and assured that prompt action would be initiated at the ground level. “We felt that declaring such an agitation at that stage was not required,” Pasang said.
Pasang further claimed that a day after the ‘Delhi Chalo Abhiyan’ was announced, Chief Minister Pema Khandu convened a round-table meeting on the issue. However, he alleged that IYFA and ANYO were neither informed nor invited to the meeting, which, according to him, was attended only by members of APIYO.
Following the meeting, Pasang said, APIYO representatives publicly announced that the issue had been resolved and that the proposed agitation was cancelled, while also expressing gratitude to the state government for its positive response. He expressed resentment over what he described as the sidelining of IYFA and ANYO, both in the meeting and in subsequent media briefings.
Referring to a recent press interaction by APIYO general secretary Tapor Maying, Pasang alleged that there was no mention of the role and contributions of IYFA and ANYO, despite their involvement in the movement over the past several months. “IYFA and ANYO joined the movement purely out of concern for the future of the state,” he said, questioning the rationale of continuing association with an organisation that, according to him, failed to acknowledge or include them.
Reiterating their stand, Pasang asserted that the issue would remain unresolved until all alleged illegal Jama Masjid and Madrasa structures are demolished and illegal immigrants are evicted from Arunachal Pradesh.
He also informed that the landowner of the alleged illegal Masjid near the Helipad area in Naharlagun has initiated steps to reclaim the land and has formally written to the Masjid committee in this regard. Pasang added that IYFA and ANYO believe that all alleged illegal Masjid structures in the state would eventually be demolished, citing the example of similar action taken in Ziro under Lower Subansiri district.
The two organisations reiterated their resolve to continue working jointly and independently to pursue the issues in the interest of safeguarding indigenous rights and the future of the state.