Sonia assures Tuki about taking up demand for Autonomous District Councils

Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday assured Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki that she will take up his demand for establishing the Mon and Patkai Autonomous District Councils with the Union Home Ministry.

Tuki met the Congress President, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on the issue. He was accompanied by three MPs from Arunachal-Mukut Mithi, Takam Sanjoy and Ninong Ering, and ministers belonging to Tawang, West Kameng, Tirap, Changlang and Longding Districts, which will be part of the proposed autonomus councils.

"We apprised Sonia Gandhi about the creation of two autonomous councils. She gave us her blessings and said she will discuss it with the Home Ministry," Tuki said after his meeting with the Congress president in New Delhi.

He further said that he has conveyed the demands of the people to the central government, and it would be difficult to get it done within such a short time. He added that the proposal would be discussed in the Cabinet first, and then passed through official procedures before being enacted in parliament.

Dismissing rmours of a Narendra Modi wave in the North East, Tuki said that there cannot be a better candidate than Rahul Gandhi for the post of prime minister.

"He is dynamic, energetic, and is doing a lot to make a difference in the country. We are definitely going to support him and look forward to working with him," he added.

Residents of the sleepy town of Mon in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang District on Monday had been demanding the setting up of an Autonomous Council for long, and recently took out a huge rally in November for this long cherished goal.

"The demand for the autonomus council is within the Constitution of India for self-rule by the people with a provision to protect own culture and identity," Tuki said.

The state assembly has already adopted an unanimous resolution demanding the creation of Mon Autonomous District Councils (ADC) for Tawang, West Kameng, Patkai, Tirap and Changlang Districts (Longding included) and the decision now rests with the Central Government.

Notably, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura are under the 6th Schedule of the Constitution with scheduled area provision for the creation of ADCs, whereas Arunachal Pradesh has not been given that constitutional benefit.