Heady mix of Naga-Arunachal politics propels Gegong Apang to driver’s seat once again after a gap of four years.

IT was a sweet revenge for Gegong Apang. Taking advantage of ayarams-gayarams in State’s politics, the strong man of Arunachal politics paid back Mukut Mithi in virtually the same coin as he triumphantly returned as Chief Minister and that too defeating the man who ended his 19-year record rule four years ago.

For Apang’s bete noir Mukut Mithi, it was a bitter pill to swallow. The same legislators who backed him four years ago, this time voted him out notwithstanding his emotional appeal to rise above party lines and save Arunachal Pradesh from bifurcation. But more than Mithi’s charges of NSCN (IM)’s involvement and emotions shown during the eight-hour long debate in the State Assembly, the recent political drama in Arunachal Pradesh will definitely be remembered for Gegong Apang, who came back from political wilderness to the centrestage of Arunachal Pradesh politics, when almost everyone wrote him off. The fast paced political developments since July 27 saw 38 of the 56 Congress legislators back Apang to form the 42-member United Democratic Front (UDF) at a time when Mithi, who was away in Delhi, seemed set to complete his term. Born on January 10, 1947 at Karko village in Upper Siang district and after passing out from JM College in Pasighat Apang started his political career as a member of Congress Pradesh Council between 1972-1975. There was no looking back Gegong Apang who became the member of the first Provisional Assembly in August 1975-1978 and served as Agriculture Minister in 1977. He was elected to the first Legislative Assembly in February 1978 and was appointed PWD and Agriculture Minister. He was re-elected to the second Legislative Assembly in January 1980 and became the Chief Minister for the first time on January 18 of that year. For the next 19 years spanning four terms, Apang donned the mantle of the Chief Minister, a record, which was surpassed only by veteran Marxist Jyoti Basu in West Bengal. He headed Congress governments for three terms and the fourth term saw the Arunachal Congress, which was floated by him 1995 to protest against the Congress high command’s dictates, in the saddle in this strategic State. He was toppled by his former Home Minister Mukut Mithi, who formed Congress (M) on January 18, 1999 ironically the date when he first came to hold the position. Mithi later on joined the Congress. Soon after starting his second innings Gegong Apang in a brief message thanked the people of the state besides legislators for the faith reposed in the UDF. Stating that the government was committed to the restoration of peace as a precondition for the development of the state and the welfare of each and every section of society, he drew attention to the need for involving all in development effort of the State. Throughout the latest political drama, the shadow of the Naga insurgency haunted the political crisis in Arunachal Pradesh as the ongoing Naga peace process had taken its first political casualty. The State capital may be 600-odd km from Kohima, but Tirap and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh in its south-east border are the hotbeds of the Naga militants and the present political turmoil of the State is directly linked to it. Both the NSCN factions have strong bases in the region and the NSCN (IM) wants that these two districts should be a part of their cherished Nagalim because of the Naga population. The Arunachal Pradesh Government had expressed concern over the outlawed National Socialist Council of Nagalim (IM) setting up bases and helping the local tribal people form a rebel army. “We are seriously worried about the NSCN (IM) penetrating parts of Tirap and Changlang districts and helping the local youths of the area in forming a militant group,” the then Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Mukut Mithi said. “This is a dangerous trend that does not bode well for a peaceful State like ours,” Mr Mithi had said in the past. In fact, through a special Act, Mr Mithi actually got two of his ministers and one MLA arrested for alleged nexus with the NSCN. He also launched Operation Hurricane in the area with the help of the security forces. The special investigating team of the Arunachal Pradesh Police had on April 30 arrested Minister for Rural Works Department Tingpong Wangham and another ruling Congress MLA from Tirap T. L. Rajkumar, besides MLA L Wanglat for alleged nexus with the NSCN (IM). Both had deserted Mr Mithi and Mr Wangham was elected president of the newly-constituted Congress (D). On his alleged links with the NSCN (IM), Mr Wanglat, who later became ruling UDF spokesman, said his meeting with leaders of both the factions of the NSCN was known to the State Government. “I met the NSCN leaders only once as part of a 12-member delegation of MLAs from Tirap and Changlang districts in 2001 to negotiate peace with the rebels with the full knowledge and consent of the State Government and Chief Minister Mukut Mithi,” he said. He said that he had no connection with the NSCN (IM) as alleged by the Congress. “Eight members of my family were killed by the NSCN (IM), who had prevented me from visiting my own constituency and since then I have been staying in Shillong most of the time.” “If not checked right now, this fledgling insurgency might snowball into a major problem for us and the Indian Government as well,” Mr Mithi said, adding that the Central Government seemed least bothered about nipping the insurgency in the bud. “Arunachal is fast turning out to be a safe haven for all separatist groups in the North-East and even from Myanmar. With no security forces available to counter them, we are caught in a trap,” Mr Mithi said. “We cannot drive out the rebels from our State unless we are provided with additional the national security, he alleged that NDA leaders who were in a hurry to end the Naga issue were trying to compromise the external security by accepting a corridor between the Naga militants and China, adding that whole design of NSCN (IM) as well as fall of his government was part of the ‘greater Nagalim’ dream of the Nagas. Mr Mithi also shook the Assembly by releasing classified documents of Mr Gegong Apang about how he had tried to amass Rs 13 crore from various sources for the formation of the Government. Following the high-pitch drama, 56-year-old Apang was sworn in by Governor V. C. Pande at the Raj Bhavan along with 33 ministers of cabinet rank and three ministers of state, including the 22 from the Mukut Mithi ministry who switched sides. For the first time in the State, a Deputy Chief Minister Kameng Dolo, the president of the Congress (D), was also administered the oath of office and secrecy. Among those who found a berth in the Apang ministry were Lijum Ronya and L Wanglat, spokesman and secretary of the United Democratic Front, floated by Apang a week ago. Wanglat, T. L. Raj Kumar and T Wangham, who took oath as ministers had been arrested under the Arunachal Pradesh Control of Organised Crime Act for alleged links with the NSCN (IM) in April, but were later pardoned by the court. There are eight new faces — six in the Cabinet and two ministers of State, including a lone woman minister, Mekap Dolo, the wife of the Deputy Chief Minister in the 60-member House. Apang, who was the lone Arunachal Congress opposition legislator in the House said that as his party was part of the NDA and those in the UDF had agreed to support the policies and programmes of the ruling coalition at the Centre. SANGMA MEETS APANG Nationalist Congress Party General secretary P. A. Sangma wasted no time in congratulating Gegong Apang on taking over the reins in Arunachal Pradesh and mooted the floating of an alliance of political parties to fight the perennial problems of insurgency, infiltration and unemployment afflicting the North-East. “Unless the leaders of the North-East fight jointly, the perennial problems of insurgency, infiltration and growing unemployment cannot be solved. The new alliance would act as a pressure group to resolve these problems,” Sangma said after meeting Apang.

“The problems cannot be solved in isolation, it needs a the joint effort by all concerned....If steps to solve them were delayed the unity and integrity of the nation as a whole would be jeopardised,” he said. He welcomed the participation of the national parties to join the alliance “since peace and stability of the region was the need of the hour.” The alliance would be floated on August 24 at a meeting of North-East leaders at Sikkim House in New Delhi, he said, adding its provisional name “North East Peoples Alliance”(NEPA) would be adopted after ratification. Chief ministers of Sikkim, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, its Deputy Chief Minister and Secretary of its ruling UDF would participate in the meeting, he said. Referring to the problem of infiltration from Bangladesh to the NE, he said it had earlier been confined to Assam but had now spread “alarmingly” to the other States and Nagaland had become the first victim. About the unemployment problem, Sangma said the proposed alliance would support self-employment among the youth of the region.

MITHI RE-ELECTED ARUNACHAL CLP LEADER

Former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Mukut Mithi was unanimously re-elected leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP). At the meeting the CLP reposed full faith in Mr Mithi’s leadership. The meeting also elected Tako Dabi as its deputy leader and Chowna Mein and Nabum Tuki as chief whip and deputy chief whip respectively, APCC spokesman Habung Payeng informed. The Mukut Mithi-led Congress Government, which had stormed to power in 1999 capturing 56 seats in the 60-member Assembly, was voted out of office recently. Congratulating the CLP leaders the rank and file of Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee hoped that they would steer the party back to power in a short time. The party would continue to fight against the “nefarious” design of the BJP-led NDA Government and its partners in the State and bring the Congress back to power in the next general election, which is not far away, the release added. Arunachal development to have international repercussions: Jamir Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) president and former Chief Minister S. C. Jamir expressed apprehensions that the recent political development in Arunachal Pradesh would have serious international repercussions. The veteran Congress leader, presently camping in Nagaland’s Mokokchung district, expressed dismay over the “political drama” in Arunachal Pradesh and said the “instability created in the State by the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre, in the wake of China staking claim of the State recently, will have serious political repercussions internationally”.

NEW ARUNACHAL PRADESH MINISTERS

There are 33 Cabinet and three ministers of State including the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister. Cabinet minister: Gegong Apang (Chief Minister)

Kameng Dolo (Deputy Chief Minister)

Lijum Ronya

L Wanglat

TL Rajkumar

T Wangham

T Aboh

8.S Ngemu

CC Singpho

10 Roding Pertin

CP Namchoom

T Taiju

Lombo Tayeng

Tanyang Tatak (new face)

T Tapak

Kento Ete

Tadik Chije

Rima Taipo Dia

Tanga Byliang

Lechi Legi

Kahfa Bengia

Naresh Glow

Tako Takam (new face)

Atum Welly (new face)

Tsering Gyurme

Thupten Tempa

TG Rimpoche

Indrajit Namchoom (new face)

Dorjee Khandu

Kalikho Pul

N Tingkhatra

Phusom Khimun

(new face)

Anok Wangsa (new face)

Minister of State:

Nyato Rigia (new face)

Mekap Dolo (new face)

DK Thongdok

SANJOY’S IM FIXATION

Former Arunachal Pradesh Government spokesman and Education Minister Takam Sanjoy has an IM fixation. It comes out in al his conversations with the media even after the Mithi Government was forced to bow out in a palace coup.

One thing is clear though. He does concede some ground  realities. For instance, he is candid to admit NSCN (K) has its presence in Tirap for a long while. The IM on the other hand moved in their ceasefire agreement. “Since then, it is issuing threats to the people including political leaders”, he complains   and accuses the Centre of “bending backwards to please the NSCN (IM)”.

The only proof, Sanjoy is forthcoming with his thesis is this: We petitioned the Centre several times to deploy forces for evicting the Naga ultras but there was no proper response. “Delhi is trying to please the NSCN (IM) and is thus creating problems for states like Arunachal Pradesh”, he says. Now what about “Operation Hurricane”, which in a way hastened the fall of Mithi government? 

The operation, he claims, was targetted against both the K and  IM. Centre has refused to help us, he laments.

Kabang Borang, former Home Minister, has urged the Centre to ensure enforcement of ceasefire ground rules in Tirap and  Changlang districts. He said Arunachal Pradesh was never a party to the Naga political or    peace process and the ceasefire between the Centre and NSCN (IM) as such has no relevance or application to it.

All in all, it was a superb show from a veteran politician, who was written of by many till a week ago.

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