Article 371 Will Never Be Scrapped, Assures Home Minister Amit Shah During Arunachal Pradesh Visit

Home Minister Amit Shah, who is in Itanagar for the 34th Statehood Day of Arunachal Pradesh, assured the people of the state that the Article 371 will never be scrapped. "Misinformation spread after abrogation of Article 370 that Article 371 will also be scrapped, it will never happen," Amit Shah said. During his address, Amit Shah heaped praised on Chief Minister Pema Khandu and said that under his abled leadership the state is developing at a rapid pace.

"All Indians believe that the development of the Northeast and the welfare of the people is the responsibility of the entire country," Amit Shah said. "I want to assure everyone in Arunachal Pradesh that protecting the rights and cultural heritage of all the tribes and sub-tribes is a responsibility of the Government and we will continue to deliver the same," Shah added.

Earlier, China, which claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of south Tibet, had objected to Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit there to attend the statehood day on Thursday, saying it is "firmly opposed" to his trip as it violated Beijing’s "territorial sovereignty and sabotaged political mutual trust".

Greetings to the people of Arunachal Pradesh on their 34th Statehood Day.

The land of the dawn-lit mountains has a rich cultural heritage and is blessed with spectacular natural beauty.

I pray for the continued progress of the state under the leadership of CM @PemaKhanduBJP ji.

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 20, 2020

Shah is in Arunachal Pradesh to attend the 34^th Statehood Day function and launch a number of projects related to industry and roads, officials said. China routinely objects to Indian leaders’ visits to the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh to highlight its claims over it.

Also Read | China Objects To Amit Shah's Arunachal Pradesh Visit, Says It 'Sabotaged Political Mutual Trust'

"China's position on the eastern sector of the China-India boundary, or the southern part of China's Tibet region, is consistent and clear," China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told online media briefing here on Thursday while replying to a question.

"The Chinese government has never recognised the so-called 'Arunachal Pradesh' and is firmly opposed to the Indian politician's visit to the southern part of China's Tibet region as it violated China's territorial sovereignty, undermined stability of the border area, sabotaged political mutual trust, and violated relevant bilateral agreement," he said.

"The Chinese side urges the Indian side to stop taking any action that may further complicate the border issue and take concrete actions to uphold peace and tranquillity of the border area," he said.

Also Read | Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Meets Union Home Minister Amit Shah

The India-China border dispute covers 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC). China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of Southern Tibet and the two countries have so far held 22 rounds of Special Representatives talks to resolve the border dispute. On February 20, Arunachal Pradesh became full state from union territory.

What Is Article 371 (A)

Article 371(A) states that no act of Parliament shall apply to the State of Nagaland in respect of the religious or social practices of the Nagas, its customary law and procedure, administration of civil and criminal justice involving decisions according to Naga customary law and ownership and transfer of land and its resources.

Article 371(A) states that no act of Parliament shall apply to the State of Nagaland in respect of the religious or social practices of the Nagas, its customary law and procedure, administration of civil and criminal justice involving decisions according to Naga customary law and ownership and transfer of land and its resources.

Most of the States that have been accorded special provisions under Article 371 are in the Northeast and the special status aims to preserve their tribal culture.

As the government abrogated Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, Article 371, which has special provisions for other States, mostly from the Northeast, has invited some attention.

Most of the States that have been accorded special provisions under Article 371 are in the northeast and the special status aims to preserve their tribal culture.

Article 371(A) states that no act of Parliament shall apply to the State of Nagaland in respect of the religious or social practices of the Nagas, its customary law and procedure, administration of civil and criminal justice involving decisions according to Naga customary law and ownership and transfer of land and its resources.

It shall apply to Nagaland only after the State Assembly passes a resolution to do so, it says.

In June, Neikiesalie Nicky Kire of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) observed that Article 371(A) impedes the State’s development. Article 371(A) states that land and its resources in the State belong to the people and not the government.

Article 371-G that deals with special provisions with respect to Mizoram has similar nature.

Article 371B deals with special provision with respect to the State of Assam.

The main objective of inserting Article 371B was to facilitate the creation of the sub-State ‘Meghalaya’.

Article 371C deals with special provisions with respect to Manipur which became a State in 1972.

Articles 371F, 371H talk about special provisions with respect to States of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, respectively.

Article 371 gives the power to the President of India to establish separate development boards for Vidarbha, Marathwada regions of Maharashtra and the rest of the State and Saurashtra, Kutch and rest of Gujarat.

Special provisions with respect to Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa are dealt in Articles 371D and 371E, 371J, 371I respectively.

(With agency inputs)