"NE Indians are bastard citizens" - @olphanso Dear NE Indians, that's the latest moniker being thrown at us, as if momo, chowmein, Chinese, chink! were not sufficient! Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) in Arunachal Pradesh has seen some of the fiercest protests in recent times, that too in a State which is considered as the most peaceful in the entire NE region. It is also the only state in NE India where Hindi is the lingua franca, where the natives take immense pride to yell, "Mera Papa India Hai!" So, why the protest? Why have rest of the country suddenly turned their back & have pitted Arunachalis particularly and the entire NE Indians in general as trouble makers, Chinese agents & bastard citizens in the backdrop of incessant protest against the SUMP? As an indigenous Indian from NE India, let me answer few of the questions & taunts being thrown at us. 1. NE Indians are anti-development freeloaders. - No. NE Indians are not free loaders. The largest hydro-electric project in the entire country is in NE India, in the State of Arunachal Pradesh. Listing some of the existing HEPs in the NE region. >Subansiri HEP, 2000MW, AP/AS >Ranganadi HEP, 405MW, AP >Kameng HEP, 600MW, AP >Kopili HEP, 275MW, AS >Doyang HEP, 75MW, NL >Pare HEP, 110MW, AS >Khandong HEP, 50MW, AS 2. The SUMP protest. - Of all the people, Arunachalis are not the ones to hit the streets easily. So, why have they grabbed the national media in recent times? The massive 11,200 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) sits in the very heartland of the Adi tribal community of Arunachal Pradesh. This massive dam will result in unimaginable displacement, loss of traditional livelihood, tribal history, identity & future. Arunachal Pradesh alongwith the entire Himalayan belt & Purvanchal lies in the Seismic Zone VI (NSHM), the zone with maximum expected seismic hazards and super-critical tectonic vulnerability (BIS). In the event of any Nepali-like catasrophe, one can only imagine the level of death & destruction SUMP will bring not only to AP but also to dowstream Assam. 3. Punjab & Haryana give land for development, NE India protests. - This is such a juvenile way to look at the things! The reality is, while land is given for development in Punjab & Haryana at a premium rate, the natives in NE India willingly "donate" their land for any developmental work. No wonder, a village in NE still has bicycle while the so called donor Haryana & Punjab villages have been majorly Tharred! 4. China is already constructing massive dam in the same river, so why not India? - If it is about competing with the Chinese, why not compete where it actually matters? China is a global force in terms of manufacturing output, EVs, critical minerals, industrical automation, AI, 5G technology, hypersonic weapons, international infrastructures & yada yada. Should not India compete in these domains?! Also, it is the paramount duty of the Indian state to express her concerns regarding the Chinese dams which is coming up in Tsangpo/Siang/Brahmaputra, instead of building up more dams in the river thereby creating a state of perennial paranoia in Arunachal Pradesh & Assam. Build any narratives one may want but the protests against SUMP is only for one reason - survival. Fighting for survival must not make any citizens as bastard citizen. Period.