New Delhi: The return of former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Gegong Apang will not have much impact as the former stalwart is a ‘spent force’, senior Congress leader P K Thungon has said here but clarified he is not opposed to his entry.
“Gegong Apang is an esteemed colleague but a lot of things have changed in Arunachal Pradesh politics since Apang left Congress, came back and again quit. But in Congress, all are welcome back,” Thungon told UNI here.
Former chief minister Apang quit BJP on January 15 and at the Kolkata rally convened by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on January 19, he had lashed out at the Narendra Modi-led dispensation and said “the last four years have been testing time for Indian democracy”.
Thungon slammed the BJP-led government in the centre and also in the state for the much controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and said the NDA regime is playing with ‘fire’ in the North East Region.
“There are already huge protest and the biggest loser in the entire game is BJP,” he said.
Answering questions, he said the Bill ought to be opposed and stalled at any cost.
“The opposition parties have various options to stall the Bill in the Rajya Sabha. It is likely that Congress and other parties including regional parties from north east will vote against the Bill in Rajya Sabha. The initial efforts would be to stop the government from bringing the Bill itself,” he said.
Thungon, a former CM, said the opposition parties can even push for referring the Bill to Parliamentary Select Committee to study the draft law.
He said in all likelihood — the Congress will win both the Lok Sabha seats from Arunachal Pradesh in the ensuing election.
“Even Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju may lose as BJP is extremely unpopular in north east these days,” he claimed.
In Arunachal East, the Congress may yet again repose faith in the sitting member Ninong Ering, who has been winning the seat since 2009. In 2004, however, Tapir Gao had won the seat as a BJP nominee.
To a question, Thungon said one of the ticket aspirants in Congress this time for Arunachal West parliamentary seat could be a popular woman leader Jarjum Ete. “Whoever is the candidate, we will win the election,” he said. (UNI)
