GUWAHATI: The People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA), which was left to lick its wounds after 33 of its MLAs including Chief Minister Pema Khandu defected to the BJP, now set its sights on ministerial berths. The party is unlikely to move court to challenge the “merger” of its MLAs with the BJP or suspended Khandu’s continuance as the chief minister.
Khandu and 18 other MLAs were suspended by the PPA leadership on two different days last week for alleged anti-party activities. The suspension had triggered the en bloc defection.
The PPA’s ground of contention for ministerial berths for its MLAs is that it is a constituent of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA). NEDA is a conglomerate of non-Congress political parties of the Northeast in which BJP is a major player. It was floated in May last year with an aim of ‘Congress-free Northeast’.
It was learnt that NEDA convener and Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is with the BJP, will visit Arunachal capital Itanagar on Wednesday to discuss “differences” arising out of the defection of the MLAs. “The NEDA convener is coming day after tomorrow. We will place our demands before him. If they want us to continue in the NEDA, then they should give us our due share. If not, we will remain in the Opposition and fight them,” PPA president Kahfa Bengia told ‘Express’.
“If the alliance has to be maintained, they should give us ministerial berths. If not, we will no more be there in NEDA. Then the message will go very badly to the people of the country. We’ll form a political committee and go to UP to tell people that this party (BJP) has become untouchable for all of us,” he said. The PPA president also accused the BJP of speaking something and doing something else. Following the latest political development, the PPA is left with just 10 MLAs. “The NEDA convener is coming day after tomorrow. We will place our demands before him. If they want us to continue in the NEDA, then they should give us our due share. If not, we will remain in the Opposition and fight them,” PPA president Kahfa Bengia told ‘Express’.
“If the alliance has to be maintained, they should give us ministerial berths,” he said.
The PPA president also accused the BJP of speaking something and doing something else. The PPA has now just 10 MLAs. The BJP has 45 and Congress 3.