Crisis strikes Cong in Arunachal, 43 MLAs led by CM Khandu join BJP ally

Itanagar: Congress Party is facing a huge political crisis in Arunachal Pradesh again, as two-thirds of its legislators led by Chief Minister Pema Khandu joined the People’s Party of Arunachal, which is part of a BJP-led alliance.

Congress has 44 legislators in the Assembly which comprises of 60 members and 43 of them have joined the People’s Party of Arunachal. The MLAs will not face any action under the Anti-Defection Law as the act says that if at least one-third of elected members of a political party leave, it would be considered as a merger.

The only MLA to remain with Congress is Nabam Tuki, who ironically was replaced by Khandu as the Chief Minister in July this year after the party tried to suppress rising rebellion against its government.

Khandu and his coterie would become a part of North-East Democratic Alliance that was found by BJP President Amit Shah.

Meanwhile, the BJP maintained that they had nothing to do with the ensuing political crisis in the state. “Congress shouldn't blame BJP for its own failure. The CM & MLAs of Arunachal have consciously decided to merge with regional party and BJP has nothing to do with this,” said, MoS Home, Kiren Rijiju.

“If the CM and ministers have to wait for days to meet their own leadership in Delhi, how can they stay in such party?” he added.

This is the second time in this year that the Congress government had been toppled in the state. The party lost power earlier in February when Kalikho Pul led a rebellion and joined hands with PPA to form the governement. The Supreme Court in July had dismissed Pul's goverment, declaring it 'unconstitutional' and had restored Nabam Tuki as the chief minister.

While the Supreme Court's decision dealt a huge setback to PPA, all was still not well in the Congress camp. The party had to work out a compromise formula and appoint Pema Khandu as the Chief Minister, who has now ditched Congress for an alliance with its arch-rival, the BJP.