Centre is neglecting Arunachal Pradesh: Apang

The Chief Minister said Centre was denying adequate funds to the state to build up infrastructure for tapping its huge natural resources.

The Central government is "neglecting" Arunachal Pradesh and is denying adequate funds to build up infrastructure for tapping its huge natural resources, Chief Minister Gegong Apang said on Friday.

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"Is the Centre waiting for an agitation to start in Arunachal for taking the decision?" he said while addressing a seminar on 'Transforming the Hill Economy of North East Region' attended among others by Prof YK Alagh, Vice -Chancellor of Nagaland university and former union minister.

Deviating from the prepared speech, Apang, who switched his allegiance from BJP to Congress just before the assembly election held in October, said during his two-decade long tenure as Chief Minister, he had experienced how his state was neglected.

Citing an example, he said, "We have been asking the Centre for long to convert the lone Arunachal university in the state to a central one. While the Prime Minister had given the Manipur university status of central university during his recent visit to that state, our demand was ignored."

"My heart is bleeding," he said, asking the Centre to make "sincere efforts" to remove regional disparities.