Cong will restore special status to Arunachal, other NE states: Rahul

Itanagar, March 19

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday that his party would restore the special category status to Arunachal Pradesh and other states in the northeast if elected to power.

There are some states in the country which required special status because of their “unique problems and difficulties” such as connectivity, terrain and infrastructure, Gandhi said at an election rally here.

During the Congress rule at the Centre, he said, Arunachal Pradesh and other NE states used to enjoy special category status.

Arunachal had a special place in the heart of the Congress party and “we would like to have a ‘dil ka rishta’ with the people of the state”, he said.

Gandhi said the Congress would not allow the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill to be passed in Rajya Sabha because the bill is “detrimental” to the people of the northeast.

“We will not allow the suppression of the people of the northeast,” Gandhi said.

The Congress will never attack the language, culture, customs and tradition of Arunachal Pradesh and other NE states, he said.

Election to the 60-member Arunachal Pradesh Assembly and two Lok Sabha seats will be held on April 11. PTI