Guwahati: Arunachal East MP Tapir Gao on Monday backed the proposed 11,200 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), saying the dam would be built ‘come what may’. His comment came amid opposition from indigenous groups and residents of the Siang belt.Addressing a meeting in Tezu, the BJP MP accused anti-dam protesters of pursuing a politically motivated agitation and said more than 100 people allegedly involved in the Oct 23 violence in Pasighat were yet to be arrested.“At present, 92 people have been arrested, and more than 100 others are yet to be arrested,” Gao said.He said the Centre, in coordination with the state leadership, was seeking a feasibility report before taking a final decision on the Siang project. However, reiterating his stand on the dam’s necessity for Arunachal’s development and India’s strategic interests, Gao said the project would eventually be implemented.“That is why I had said in a speech in Riga: ‘The dam will be built, come what may’. Even if it does not happen during our generation, even if we grow old and die, the Govt of India will eventually have to build at least one dam on the Brahmaputra and the Siang,” he said.Citing China’s hydropower generation upstream, Gao said developments across the border could have serious implications for Assam and Bangladesh.“Instead of understanding these strategic concerns, students are wasting their time and energy on protests and demonstrations,” he said.Recounting the Oct 23 violence, Gao claimed that the bandh in Pasighat, East Siang, remained peaceful from 5 am to 5 pm, but a group of youths allegedly went on a rampage after 7 pm. He said most of those involved were students and people from the Pasighat market, and warned that police cases could affect the students’ employment prospects.“My house is in Ruksin (in East Siang); I could not reach there. They did not spare the house of a single leader,” he said.He alleged that protesters vandalised heritage houses, attacked an MLA’s residence and looted cash and valuables under the banner of Gen Z. “Many young boys and girls participated in the violence in the name of Gen Z. But what will happen to their future? Even if they study hard and graduate, they will not be eligible for jobs until the police cases against them are disposed of,” he said.Gao said the project was not conceived by the present state govt or Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but was declared a national project in 2008 during the tenure of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.“It was declared a national project in 2008, during the tenure of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,” he said, alleging that the agitation was being driven by political ambitions. “Those who want to contest the MP elections are leading the agitation, and those aspiring to become MLAs are organising meetings,” Gao said.Taking a swipe at the anti-dam movement, Gao also targeted a group he referred to as the ‘Cockroach’ team, claiming that the Centre had effectively restrained it through legal action.“I used to wonder why Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah were not taking action against the ‘Cockroach’ team. But later, I realised that Modi ji and Amit Shah ji had completely crippled the team. They can neither return abroad nor carry out any agitation. They have been effectively restrained through the law. Those who supported them are now being summoned to police stations every day,” Gao said.
