Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Friday said that the fact that Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and 42 Congress MLAs had resigned from the party and formed a regional outfit, was a clear indication that the Congress party is a "sinking boat".
"It is a nice day for Arunachal and a bad day for the Congress. Who is responsible for this; see the condition of Congress, one after the other all prominent Congress leaders are leaving the party. The reason behind this is that they don't believe in their leadership quality anymore. They are all tired of their leadership. Congress is becoming a sinking boat and everybody is trying to come out of that boat," Naidu said.
It is reported that all MLAs who resigned from the Congress today will be joining the Peoples Party of Arunachal (PPA), formed by erstwhile chief minister late Kalikho Pul.
This is the second time in seven months that the PPA has been gifted a government in the frontier state.
In the 60-member House with an effective strength of 58, the Congress had the support of 47 MLAs, including two Independents, while Opposition BJP has 11 members.
Khandu was sworn-in as the ninth Arunachal Chief Minister on 17 July.
In a dramatic turnaround in this land-locked state on July 16, Congress replaced Nabam Tuki by choosing Khandu as the new Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, who staked claim to power on the basis of support of 45 party MLAs along with two Independents.