The Peoples Party of Arunachal (PPA) Govern-ment in Arunachal Pradesh became a BJP Government on Saturday with a total of 33 of the total 43 PPA legislators, including Chief Minister Pema Khandu, joining the BJP.

Chief Minister Pema Khandu submitted a list of 32 legislators, excluding him, to Speaker TN Thongdok for merger with the BJP and the Speaker accepted the list. With the merger of 33 PPA legislators with the BJP, the strength of BJP becomes 45 now in the House of 60.

“I had submitted a list of 33 legislators, who are supporting me, to the Speaker for merger with the BJP and the Speaker accepted it.

Now it is a full-fledged BJP Government in the State,” said Chief Minister Pema Khandu while speaking to reporters today.

The high voltage drama started after the ruling PPA suspended seven legislators, including the Chief Minister from the party for their involvement in anti-party activities. The PPA was working on to elect a new PPA legislature Party leader in place of Khandu to head the Government.

However, 33 of the total 43 PPA legislators decided to back Pema Khandu and they finally merged with the BJP. Besides the 45 BJP legislators, Khandu also has the support of two Independents with him.

Asked about what prompted them to side with BJP, Khandu said they have been ill-treated by the PPA leadership. “We were ill-treated and there was no option in front of us but to join the BJP. Now we are going to work for stability and all round development of the State,” Khandu said.

“We have joined the PPA for the sake of development and progress of the State and welfare of the people. However, there were similar in the PPA like the Congress and it finally compelled us to go for merger with the BJP,” Khandu said.

The Chief Minister also termed the decision of the PPA president to suspend the MlAs as ‘undemocratic’ and said the party president should have issued show cause notice to the MlAs before taking a step like suspension. “There was no democracy there in the PPA,” he said.

The PPA on the other hand slammed the move of the 33 legislators to side with the BJP and said they were working on legal aspects. “We are going to do what we should do. At this moment I would not be able to comment anything but we are contemplating legal options,” said senior PPA leader Kameng Ringu while talking to The Pioneer.