Headlines       Vol. 1 Issue 34-35

Jan 22-Feb 6 , 1999

Mukut Mithi did the most unexpected In a battle of two Capricorns, Mukut Mithi appears to be more lucky than Gegong Apang. Mr. Mithi, who was born on the New Year's day in 1952, managed to fulfill his dream of becoming the Chief Minister of the Arunachal Pradesh by shattering the dream of Gegong Apang, who was born on January 10, 1949, of becoming the longest surviving Chief Minister surpassing West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu's stint. Beyond doubt, Mukut Mithi has all the ingredients of a good leader, but even his close confidants did not give him much chance in his fight against Mr. Apang, especially when he failed to topple him (Apang) in 1992, despite getting full support from P. K. Thungon and Omen Deori, the two most important Congress leaders in the State and the Congress high command. But politics is a funny game. What Mr. Mithi had failed to achieve in 1992, he achieved in 1999 that too quite easily in spite of the fact that this time Thungon-Deori duo was not in a position to help him and Gegong Apang's party the Arunachal Congress is a partner of the ruling coalition at the Centre. Besides, till Mukut Mithi staged the bloodless coup, whoever had revolted against formidable Apang in the past found themselves in political oblivion. Former Union minister P. K. Thungon, former Congress working committee member Omen Deori, Lata Umbrey, former chief minister Tomo Riba, all faced the same fate. Gegong Apang silenced them sometimes by winning their supporters for ministerial berths or by raising the controversial Chamka issue. People of Arunachal had not forgotten the humiliation P. K. Thungon suffered at the hands of Apang loyalists at the historic anti-foreigners rally in Itanagar. Taking a dig at the attempt by the Congress high command to replace Gegong Apang as the Chief Minister, Apang loyalists that day proudly announced that Narasimha Rao would never be able to rehabilitate Mr. Thungon in the State. It goes to the credit of Mukut Mithi that he had managed to dethrone such a redoubtable opponent like Gegong Apang. It stands as a testimony of his clout in the State that despite being a known dissident, the Mr. Apang had never been able to ignore him as he did in the case of P. K. Thungon and Omen Deori. An aluminus of the Ram Krishna Mission School, Narendrapur, Mr. Mithi took part in active social work right from his student days. His inclination towards social works came to light when he took part in relief operations for the victims of the devastating Bengal floods of 1972. After returning to Arunachal Pradesh, completing his graduation from the J. N. Agricultural University in Jabbalpur, Mr. Mithi continued in the same vein, finding ways and means to develop the backward areas of his home district Dibang Valley. Mukut Mithi made his entry to the State politics in 1983 by winning a by-election from the Roing Assembly constituency. Very soon, he attracted the attention of the Congress leaders and was sworn in as a deputy minister. He was a minister till 1992, when Gegong Apang dropped him for dissident activities. But due to his political acumen and understanding of the State's problems, Mr. Apang had to take him back and he was given the health and family welfare portfolio. From then onwards, till now there is no looking back for Mukut Mithi.

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