Guwahati: In a dramatic turn of events in Arunachal Pradesh, the Congress party succeeded in roping in its rebels back to the party fold by forcing chief minister Nabam Tuki to step down and appointing Pema Khandu as the new leader of the Congress Legislature Party.
In what came as big shocker to the BJP strategists, the Congress rebels including the former chief minister Kalikho Pul on Saturday morning attended the Congress Legislature Party meeting which elected Mr Khandu as their new leader.
Arunachal Chief Minister Nabam Tuki who was reinstated by the Supreme Court on Wednesday immediately after the CLP meeting rushed to Raj Bhawan and submitted his resignation.
The Arunachal assembly has an effective strength of 58 in which the BJP has 11 members and there are two Independents. With Speaker Nabam Rebia and the return of dissidents, the Congress strength has gone up to 45.
If insiders are to be believed, union minister of state home Mr Kiren Rijiju who was dealing with Congress rebels and contemplating to merge the Congress rebels with BJP in Arunachal Pradesh was caught oblivious to the developments, which were planned by Congress strategist soon after the Supreme Court pronounced the verdict.
Pointing out that problem for the Tuki government had started with resignation of Mr Pema Khandu, sources said that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was in touch with Mr Khandu and Mr Chowna Mein – the deputy chief minister in the Pul government.
Pema will be youngest cm in country
Arunchal Pradesh Chief Minister-designate Pema Khandu will be the youngest chief minister of India among all incumbents. The eldest son of former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Dorjee Khandu, who passed away while in office on May 20, 2011 in a helicopter crash, Mr Pema (36) is a graduate from the prestigious Hindu College under Delhi University.
He first became a minister in the Gamlin government in 2014 and was inducted as tourism minister in the Tuki government as well. He, however, was not happy with the style of functioning of Mr Tuki and in 2015, and he resigned.
