Arunachal CM Pema Khandu: ‘Assembly poll win a historic moment … Mahaul was entirely for the BJP’
“The last Chinese incursion or land grabbing in Arunachal happened in the 1980s … Since the BJP came into power at the Centre, robust infrastructure has been built on the border,” says Khandu after leading BJP to a massive win in the state
The son of a two-term Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister from the Congress, Pema Khandu entered the state Assembly for the first time in 2011, winning unopposed at the age of 32 following his father Dorjee Khandu’s death in a chopper crash.
Khandu took five years to become the CM but it took just a month for him to be disgruntled with the party. In 2016, he quit to join regional outfit People’s Party of Arunachal, an ally of the BJP. He was suspended from the Congress along with six MLAs. But Khandu proved to be a master strategist and he took along 43 MLAs to the BJP. Overnight, the BJP, which had 11 MLAs, became the largest party in the 60-member Assembly.
Hours after the BJP stormed back to power winning 46 of the 60 seats, Khandu speaks to The Indian Express about the mandate, the difference between the BJP and his former party Congress, and what the Centre has done to help the state.
It is a historic moment for the BJP in Arunachal Pradesh. People have again placed their faith in the BJP. That reflects their genuine appreciation for all the work initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is an expression of people’s love for our honourable PM.
We were expecting such a victory because I could sense the issues faced by the people during my frequent travels through the state in the last eight years. Especially in winter, I am always on tour across the state. I could understand the problems on the ground and I could stitch together government schemes and policies accordingly. The mahaul (environment) was entirely for the BJP.
As such there was no one particular issue. We gave ourselves challenges. It was a challenge to fulfil the promises given in the Sankalp Patra in 2019.
The alleged Chinese incursions at the border were a major point of discussion in national politics in the last few years. Was it the same in the state too?
The last Chinese incursion or land grabbing in Arunachal happened in the 1980s. After that, not an inch of land from Arunachal was taken by China. In the 1980s, there was no infrastructure in the border areas. Since the BJP came to power at the Centre, robust infrastructure has been built on the border.
The BJP says it has emphasised building infrastructure in the border states. How far did it help you win this election?
Politically we have only two Lok Sabha seats but Prime Minister Modi understands the challenges and opportunities of Arunachal. We have seen enormous development in the communication and road sectors. We have got around 1,700 km of highway completed in five to six years, improved the village connectivity and the border districts have also been developed. Arunachal was the lone state in the country that had no airport. We have built the airport and it has been operational for the last two years. At least three to four of the eight defunct airports of the 1960s are now operational under the UDAN scheme. On the communications side, 4G and 5G connectivity is improving connectivity in villages.
You switched over from the Congress to the BJP in 2016. What is the difference between the two parties?
The Congress in those days dominated the Northeast. Unfortunately, its leaders in Delhi made the entire system corrupt. Not a single project got sanctioned without bribes. I was the one who revolted against the Congress. I resigned from the party much before I joined the BJP. Once I joined the BJP, I realised there is a zameen aasman ka farq (vast difference).
Ten of the 60 MLAs were elected unopposed. What is your view on one-party dominance, that too a national party, in small states like Arunachal Pradesh?
The dynamics of Arunachal are different geographically and demographically. We are a tribal state, we have about 26 major tribes and we do not understand each other’s dialect or language. So, the medium of interaction is Hindi. So, the BJP’s acceptability is more here.
Does the diminishing influence of regional parties affect the political landscape of the Northeast?
Regional parties have their limitations. A national party’s agenda is always national. It always helps the country’s identity whereas the regional parties are confined to their regions.
Does it help you?
Definitely. Since Arunachal was carved out of Assam, we had a border issue for at least 800 km and the matter was pending in court. When the BJP came to power at the Centre, PM Modi instructed us that the issue should be settled mutually through dialogue. So, I met (Assam CM) Himanta Biswa Sarma ji who had taken over as the region’s in-charge. We had very good discussions and we formed committees to settle the dispute. We have resolved almost 80% of the matter. Just small demarcations in a few areas are left. That will also be completed soon. It happened because there was a national party in both these states.
Arunachal Pradesh is one state where the unemployment rate among the youth is above the national average. Are you planning to take steps to address it?
The government alone cannot provide Jobs. We need to have developmental projects at different levels. One problem we have is that we do not have the backing of international funding. None of the global agencies, including the World Bank, will support us due to our neighbour’s (China’s) objections.
But the Central government and Modi sahab were kind enough to grant Arunachal major projects. What we are focusing on is enhancing the state’s revenue. We are coming up with hydroelectric projects so that our revenue increases. Also, we are promoting startups and entrepreneurship. Arunachal is growing slowly.
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