Arunachal Pradesh: Political history
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
2016
September: Cong CM, MLAs defect to BJP ally
The Times of India
Aaya Cong, Gaya Cong: Party loses govt in Arunachal again Sep 17 2016 : The Times of India
CM & 42 MLAs Shift Together To BJP Ally
Two months after its government in Arunachal Pradesh was “restored“ following a Supreme Court order, Congress was left squirming on Friday with chief minister Pema Khandu defecting with all but one of the 42 party MLAs, plus the speaker, to People's Party of Arunachal, a regional outfit allied with the BJP-led NDA.
The development is the latest in the dramatic twists and turns in the turbulent politics of the sensitive border state. The Supreme Court had castigated former governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa for dismissing the state government and imposing central rule in January .
The controversial dismissal of Nabam Tuki's government had led to Congress rebels forming another government with BJP's support.
Arunachal is one of the oldest bastions of Congress in the northeast, but with the defection of Khandu along with speaker Tenzing Norbu Thongduk, the party is now left with just one MLA -Tuki.
After Friday's upheaval, the 60-member assembly has 43 PPA members, 11 BJP legislators, one Congress MLA and two Independents. The seat of ex-chief minister Kalikho Pul is vacant after he died last month. The status of two Congress MLAs, who resigned before the Tuki government fell in January , is unclear.
The latest development follows the Centre's decision [a few days before] to sack Rajkhowa after the apex court order struck down his decision as “unconstitutional“. It appears that the Centre did not want the controversial Rajkhowa to preside over the swearing-in of the Khandu government, this time in pro-NDA colours. BJP state chief Tapir Gao held the Congress leadership responsible for the revolt.“Sonia and Rahul Gandhi should have taken care of this in time,“ he said. BJP state chief Tapir Gao blamed Congress for fail ing to address the issues faced by its state party functionaries. On the possibility of PPA MLAs joining BJP , he said, “Our door is always open.“
In a game of musical chairs that has marked political developments in Arunachal Pradesh, Pul had overthrown Tuki in a similar fashion by joining the PPA with 29 Congress MLAs in February. Pul died under mysterious circumstances on August 9 shortly after being unseated by a SC ruling.
On Friday , Khandu paraded 42 MLAs before assembly speaker Tenzing Norbu Thongdok, who had no qualms in accepting the change in their allegiance to PPA, assembly sources said.This was subsequently notified in the assembly bulletin.
Khandu claimed there was no political motive in the switch. “Our decision to join PPA was conscious and unanimous. In a meeting (where MLAs decided to leave Congress) held in the morning, most MLAs were of the view that a change was imperative to get more funds from the Centre,“ he said.
Asked why the MLAs did not join BJP, he replied, “The people of the state have very high aspirations and they are very regional in character.“
The decision to don PPA colours seems politically convenient with a development argument thrown in. “For a state poor in resources, it is necessary to be with a bigger party to get more funds from the Centre,“ deputy CM Chowna Mein said. Tuki, who is out of town, could not be contacted for comment.
Gao welcomed Khandu's decision and said, “This decision should have been taken earlier. We are happy that PM Narendra Modi's dream of Congress-mukt (free) Bharat is going to become a reality now.“
Since PPA is a constituent of Northeast Democratic Alliance (NEDA), the change in political affiliation of Congress MLAs is set to put BJP in power through the back door again. NEDA was formed by BJP chief Amit Shah after the saffron party won the Assam elections in May .
In February, BJP had supported Pul's government, which was formed through a similar defection of Congress MLAs to PPA. But Pul had to step down after the SC ordered reinstatement of the Tuki-led Congress government that he had dislodged.Following this, on July 16, Khandu became chief minister of the frontier state.
PPA’s previous stints in government
The Arunachal political crisis has also highlighted the curious case of PPA, a party much favoured by defectors in the state. With Friday's developments, PPA formed the government for the third time after 1979 when Tomo Riba was CM. Riba, who took oath on September 18, 1979, ruled the state for 46 days before being deposed on November 3 the same year. It also ruled the state for a brief period from March 3 to July 13 under Pul.
The position on 18 Sept 2016, after mass defections
In & out of the Congress, Sep 17 2016 : The Times of India
30 Congress MLAs who had gone to People's Party of Arunachal returned to Congress in July 2016 when Pema Khandu became CM. Of them, 29 are back in PPA
The original 5 PPA legislators
In the 2014 election, PPA had won five seats. The five legislators later defected to Congress.Now, all of them are back in PPA
PPA parade
Pema Khandu paraded his 42 MLAs before Assembly speaker Tenzing Norbu Thongdok who accepted their joining PPA
Last man standing
The only MLA who stayed back in the Congress is Nabam Tuki, who Congress replaced as CM to contain rebellion in July
PPA stints in govt
PPA ruled Arunachal Pradesh from March 3 to July 13 this year. It had formed govt once before on Sept 18, 1979 under Tomo Riba. That govt lasted 46 days
