Both the MPs had contested the elections as independents against official Congress nominees, and had enjoyed the backing of Apang. He is expected to arrive here early next week to extend the support of his newly-formed party, the Arunachal Congress.
According to sources in Itanagar, ennui against the Central leadership of the Congress as well as the P V Narasimha Rao government had been building up for quite some time. One of the main factors has been the long-standing rivalry between Apang on the one side and former Union minister P K Thungon and CWC member Oomen Deuri on the other.
Thungon had been defeated by the Apang-backed independent candidate in the Arunachal West constituency.
Thungon has already been under a cloud for his actions as minister in the Union ministry of urban development, and Apang allegedly made every effort to ensure his defeat. Since the Lok Sabha election, there have been demands of taking disciplinary action against him by the Congress faction opposed to him.
Secondly, the issue of expulsion of Chakma refugees from the state has assumed the centre-stage in the border state with the students and other sections threatening agitations over the issue. The Rao government was seen as not doing enough to expel them, and before the Lok Sabha election, Apang had thrown his weight behind these sections and threatened to leave the Congress alongwith his supporters if the issue was not settled to their satisfaction.
Moreover, the sources said Apang had been allegedly humiliated early this month when he came here to sort out party matters with Rao, but the latter did not give him an audience. Instead, the state Congress chief, who enjoyed Apang's support, was changed and replaced by a leader belonging to the Thungon faction.
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Gegong Apang's revolt against the Congress and forming of a regional party called Arunachal Congress has given a major boost to regionalism in the north-east, besides proving that he is the undisputed leader in the state.
The Congress leadership in New Delhi was caught unawares by the manner in which he got himself elected leader of the new legislature party, secured the assembly speaker's recognition of his group as an independent entity and formed the new government on Saturday. All these in less than 36 hours after he quit the Congress, along with his entire 35-member council of ministers.
Speaking to Business Standard on telephone from Itanagar soon after being sworn-in as Chief Minister of the regional party government, Apang said: I am feeling greatly relieved because I don't have to bother anymore about those Congress leaders who want to remote-control the states from Delhi.
Apang, who has been the country's longest serving congress Chief Minister, said: this is the age of regional politics and regional parties would soon be the only parties to have relevance in the states which have separate regional aspirations.
Apang's Arunachal congress will extend total support to the Untied Front Government at the Centre. All these years that I had been with the Congress, I felt like a bonded labourer, he said.
Arunachal Pradesh under Apang had been a Congress bastion. He led the party to victory at the state assembly polls for four successive terms. This is his 18th year as Chief Minister, the only difference being that he now heads a regional party government.
The Congress-ruled states in the Northeast like Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Meghalaya have problems ranging from insurgency to underdevelopment. All these years the Congress ruled the Centre, hardly anything was done for the development of these states, he said.
Politics in the northeastern states are likely to see some dramatic developments. Apang has shown there can indeed be a total transformation of a party and a new government could be formed with the same set of ministers and legislators.
Apang has formed a two-tier 32-member ministry, which will soon be expanded except for two new faces. He has retained his earlier team. What is indeed significant is that despite changing colour, Apang has the support of 54 members in the 60-member state assembly.