Congress questions Rijiju’s ‘silence’ on Siang dam amid Adi community opposition

• Arunachal Congress has sought Kiren Rijiju’s position on the proposed 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project

• The party criticised BJP MP Tapir Gao’s support for the dam, citing concerns over displacement, indigenous rights and public consultation

• Gao defended the project as essential for development and India’s strategic interests amid China’s upstream hydropower expansion

The Congress in Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday demanded that Union minister Kiren Rijiju clarify his stand on the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, while criticising BJP MP Tapir Gao for backing the dam despite opposition from sections of the indigenous Adi community.

The party questioned Rijiju’s “silence” on concerns surrounding the proposed 11,200-MW project on the Siang river, saying residents needed answers about displacement, ancestral land, livelihoods and cultural identity.

According to the Congress, more than 27 villages and over 1.5 lakh members of the Adi community could face uncertainty linked to the project. These figures were presented as the party’s claims.

It also questioned the continuation of the pre-feasibility report process while concerns over public consent, rehabilitation, compensation and livelihood protection remained unresolved.

The Congress acknowledged the strategic challenges posed by China’s infrastructure development on the upstream Yarlung Tsangpo river. However, it argued that national security considerations should not override consultation with affected communities or safeguards for indigenous rights.

State Congress spokesperson Kon Jirjo Jotham linked the demand for answers to Rijiju’s recent criticism of Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

“Advice for the Opposition can wait. Answers for the people of Siang cannot,” Jotham said.

In a social media post on 4 November, Rijiju had said Gandhi should spend more time in India and stop meeting people he described as “anti-India” if the Congress wanted to increase its parliamentary strength.

The state Congress also sought Rijiju’s response to China’s repeated territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh, its renaming of places and reported border concerns in the Taksing-Maza and Longju sectors.

Separately, it demanded an independent investigation into suspected irregularities in land compensation for the Arunachal Frontier Highway, particularly along the Lada-Chayangtajo stretch. The party sought verification of whether genuine landowners had received payments and whether influential individuals or intermediaries had benefited.

Gao’s support for the Siang project drew a separate challenge from the Congress, which questioned his declaration that the dam would be built. It said an elected representative belonging to the Adi community should address constituents’ grievances and protect their rights.

The party also raised concerns about reported security deployments, police action and detention of protesters, urging elected representatives to facilitate dialogue with villagers.

The criticism followed Gao’s remarks at a meeting in Tezu, Lohit district, on Monday, where he said the project would proceed “come what may”.

Defending the proposal, the Arunachal East MP argued that India needed a major dam on the Siang or Brahmaputra in response to China’s extensive hydropower development upstream. He described the project as important both for Arunachal Pradesh’s development and for India’s strategic interests.

Gao also said the proposal had been designated a national project in 2008 under then prime minister Manmohan Singh.

Accusing anti-dam protesters of harbouring political ambitions, he referred to the 23 October violence in Pasighat and said 92 people had been arrested, while more than 100 others were yet to be arrested.

With PTI inputs