Arunachal at a glance
Itanagar: High-voltage political drama involving Governor Jyoti Prashad Rajkhowa capped an eventful year in Arunachal Pradesh. Resurfacing of contentious Chakma-Hajong refugee issues, controversy on construction of green field airport project, a chopper crash, alleged financial mismanagement and protest against China’s move to depict Arunachal Pradesh as part of its territory, were some of the other issues that hogged limelight during 2015.
The Congress government in the frontier state faced the heat of rebellion from 21 party MLAs out of total 47 during the year. 21 MLAs including six ministers joined hands with former Finance Minister Kalikho Pul to try and topple Chief Minister Nabam Tuki.
Controversy erupted in the state when Rajkhowa on December 9 advanced the winter session of the assembly to December 16 from January 14, 2016 which evoked strong protest from the Tuki camp and also several mass-based organisations. The governor called the session with directives to Deputy Speaker T Norbu Thongdok to preside over it and take up the impeachment motion notice served by 11 BJP and two Independent MLAs against Speaker Nabam Rebia. Tuki supported by his nine cabinet ministers along with 16 Congress members including Rebia decided not to attend the three-day session terming it as “arbitrary and against the Constitution”.
Surprisingly, the Speaker on December 15 in an order disqualified 14 rebel MLAs including Thongdok from the House on the clause of anti-defection. However, during the first day of the session, the rebel group of Congress MLAs accompanied by BJP and Independent members went to the Assembly but they were prohibited entry as the district administration on directive of the Speaker sealed the assembly premises for three days apprehending serious law and order problem. With no option left, the rebel group convened the session in two makeshift venues and impeached Rebia and elected dissident leader Pul as the new leader of the house through a composite floor test brought by BJP and Independent members.
The rebel group was prohibited to go to the Raj Bhawan by Youth Congress cadres who resorted to road blockade for nearly five hours. Providing a breather to Tuki, the Gauhati High Court on December 17 stayed all the proceedings of the assembly and governor’s order till February 1 next year. Tuki on October 7 recommended to the Governor dropping four senior ministers from the state cabinet. A few days later another minister was also axed from the cabinet.
China’s oft-repeated claim over Arunachal’s territory again cropped up during the year with a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman statement claiming the state as a part of its territory while there was also a wrong depiction of Arunachal in its map.
The law and order front was also not conducive in the state during the year. Three Army personnel died while four other seriously injured when suspected NSCN militants fired at the convoy at Tupi village along Khonsa-Longding road in Tirap district on April 2.
The Arunachal Pradesh cabinet on July 3 approved an ambitious project – Infrastructure development of twin capital cities Itanagar and Naharlagun – that would adorn them with fly-overs, metro cable cars, automated car parking slots, multi-utility city centers and other facilities synonymous with a model metro-city. (PTI)