Gong sounds for Gegong Apang as Congress MLAs revolt

NEW DELHI: Majority of Congress MLAs of Arunachal Pradesh have revolted against chief minister Gegong Apang and are camping in Delhi asking the AICC to name Khandu Dorjee as the new chief minister or face the possibility of the MLAs forming a new government with the help of the BJP.

Union minister and AICC in-charge of the state, Oscar Fernandes, who had just managed to avert a similar crisis in the neighbouring Meghalaya recently, is now in the middle of a fire-fighting exercise, urging the 23 rebel party MLAs not to take any extreme action.

On their part, the rebels are not giving in and have shifted their camp from a five-star hotel in the capital to a farm house on the outskirts. They are also reportedly in touch with BJP leaders in the capital, making clear their determination for a hard bargain.

In the 60-member Arunachal Pradesh assembly, the Congress has 34 members while the BJP has nine, NCP three, a regional party 2 and 13 independents. The heat was turned on Mr Apang, the longest-serving chief minister of the country, when a majority of Congress MLAs passed a resolution asking for him to be replaced by Mr Dorjee.

They said if their demand was rejected by the AICC, they will join a regional party and align with the Opposition to form a new government.

Incidentally, Mr Apang himself had revolted against the high command during the NDA regime, formed a rebel government before he staged a comeback to the Congress.

After his meeting with rebels, Mr Fernandes also met Mr Apang, who had reached Delhi, and asked him to rush back to the state capital. While efforts are on to pacify the rebels, the high command did indicate the possibility of calling a CLP meeting to discuss the issue.

But given the slippery nature of northeast politics, it is too early to judge which way the rebels swing finally, what with the opposition parties all ready to collaborate with their oust Apang project.