Dams on Brahmaputra in China an aggression: Sangma tells Modi

The reported building of dams on the Brahmaputra in China was a "matter of serious concern" and any attempt to interfere with the river's flow should be considered as an "act of aggression", NPP leader P.A. Sangma has told Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The Brahmaputra is the lifeline of the northeast region and any attempt to interfere with the natural flow of the river should be considered as an act of aggression," the National People's Party leader and former Lok Sabha speaker said in a letter to Modi Saturday copies of which were made available to the media Sunday.

Stating that there was "repeated incursion by China into Arunachal Pradesh", he urged Modi to take up the matter immediately with the Chinese authorities.

The Lok Sabha member from Tura also said students and people from the northeast felt insecure and discriminated in Delhi and other cities, and asked the prime minister to discuss the matter with the Lok Sabha members.

Sangma said in the letter that infiltration of migrants into the northeast could only be controlled if "true Indian citizens" are identified and identity cards issued to them.

He also asked the prime minister for building a road connecting Kolkata and Guwahati via the Garo Hills of Meghalaya and Bangladesh, and for connecting Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and other Southeast Asian countries with the northeast.

Stating that the government's agenda should be "development for peace" rather than "peace for development", Sangma said the "draconian" Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) should be scrapped.