Old timers in the BJP have started accusing that undemocratic style of functioning of Mr. Apang is weakening the party in the State.

ARUNACHAL Chief Minister Gegong Apang’s honeymoon with the BJP seems to be over within a year. Mr. Apang was the blue-eyed boy of the saffron party almost a year back when he staged a coup and regained power after a gap of four and half years by splitting the Congress led by Mukut Mithi. But today the Aruanachal strongman is probably fighting the toughest battle of his political career. Within days Apang became BJP’s icon in the North-East heading the saffron party’s first government in the region. It was a major victory for the BJP in the region known as Congress bastion. With hardly any presence outside Assam the party suddenly found itself on a strong wicket in the North-East as the ruling MNF in Mizoram was a NDA partner and the BJP is sharing power in Nagaland too.

This enabled the party to challenge the Congress in the North-East. However, the Lok Sabha result in the region was not up to BJP’s expectations. Although the party won both the Lok Sabha seats from Arunachal, BJP MLAs and Ministers in the United Democratic Front (UDF) government who originally belonged to the Congress started making moves to desert Mr. Apang within a fortnight of the Congress returning to power at the Centre.

The Desertion brought the rift between Mr. Apang and BJP central leadership to open. Old timers in the BJP started accusing that undemocratic style of functioning of Gegong Apang was weakening the party in the State. The detractors of Mr. Apang further alleged that he was actually trying to return to the Congress, which the Arunachal strongman vehemently denied. It was also alleged that during elections, Mr. Apang did not throw his entire weight behind the BJP Lok Sabha candidates in the State. On his part, Mr. Apang felt that he was not given a free hand to build the party in Arunachal.

Tug of war between Mr. Apang and his detractors reached its culmination within an hour of the completion of downsizing exercise. Being denied ministerial berths, Apang’s detractors resigned from the BJP and joined the Congress. This triggered the ongoing political crisis in the State. 19 former BJP and two Congress (D) Ministers including the wife of Deputy Chief Minister Kameng Dolo and former Speaker of the Arunachal Assembly rejoined the Congress. The defection law which had earlier prevented them to switch loyalties was no longer applicable as the Assembly was dissolved by then by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister.

The decision by Governor V C Pandey to dissolve the Assembly merely two and a half months ahead of tenure was resented by the Congress, which urged the Governor to reverse his decision or recommend President’s rule. The Governor succumbed to their pressure but on July 7, rushed a letter to the President on the saying that he was forced by the former Congress and BJP MLAs to send the earlier report. Although the national level leaders of the BJP raised the issue of the alleged gherao of the Governor and threatened to stall Parliamentary proceedings if President’s rule is imposed in Arunachal this did not please Mr. Apang whose distance with the saffron party is increasing day by day. His loyalists felt that the BJP could have put more pressure on the Congress Government.

There are reports that Mr. Apang is making moves to return to the Congress. But chances are remote given the Opposition from the State unit of the party and prominent Congress leaders of the North-East. Rumours are flying thick and high that Mr. Apang might join the Nationalist Congress Party or return to the Arunachal Congress which he had formed .splitting the Congress In 1996 or float any new outfit. An upbeat Congress is now confident of winning 45 of the total 60 seats in the State Assembly. “The UDF government has not been able to click. There was no coordination among the Ministers of the UDF government and work has virtually come to a standstill in the State,” the Congress claimed. Political history of Arunachal shows that the electorate and leaders of the State usually support the party which is in power at the Centre. Anticipating that the same trend will continue this year too, most of the political leaders are eyeing for a Congress ticket. Demand for BJP tickets are on decline.

But everything may change overnight as Gegong Apang is yet to spell his plans. And everyone knows that the man is capable of upsetting all calculations.

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