Within two months of leading a Congress Government in Arunachal Pradesh after the Supreme Court restored status quo ante, on Friday Pema Khandu the Chief Minister along with 42 Congress MLAs staged a dramatic exit from the Congress Party. Khandu and his team have joined the regional People’s Party of Arunachal, an ally of the BJP, leaving Mr Nabam Tuki, former chief minister of the State as the sole Congress member now. Tuki was earlier replaced as chief minister when the Congress tried to stem rebellion in its ranks and picked Mr Khandu as a compromise candidate. When it comes to changing loyalties no one does it like Arunachal Pradesh. The state is known for its massive corruption which makes other states look like babes in the wood. Pema Khandu must have been tempted by promise of more development funds if he would agree to support a friendly Government at the Centre. Needless to say the AlI India Congress Committee is flummoxed. All that the Congress spokesperson Randip Singh Surjewala had to say was that the prodigal sons of Congress who have jumped ship have made massive ideological and political blunder and compromise. Such statements fall like water on a duck’s back in Arunachal Pradesh where the stakes for the money game are very high.
In the Arunachal assembly of 60 members, the Congress had 44 lawmakers and 11 members are from the BJP. Two independent MLAs who supported the Congress have also joined the regional outfit. Naturally all eyes are on Union Minister of State for Home, Kiren Rijiju who was perhaps given the difficult task of delivering Arunachal Pradesh to BJP. The move did not succeed last time as the Supreme Court had stepped in the restore the Congress Government. This time Rijiju is successful in his mission but not before attributing the reasons for the switchover of the Arunachal MLAs to the poor leadership in the AICC where the chief minister and ministers have to wait for days to meet either Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi.
After a period of central rule, Congress rebels led by Kalikho Pul had in February this year taken over the Government with support from the BJP. That government lasted only five months as the Supreme Court reinstated the previous government.
Mr Pul was later found hanging in his home in August. He must be turning in his grave now.
