Congress on Friday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah for the current imbroglio in Arunachal Pradesh where its party members defected to form a Government under new political banner.
Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, however, said the BJP has nothing to do with it. “If the Chief Minister and the Ministers have to wait for days to meet their own leadership in Delhi, then how can they stay in such a party,” Rijiju asked.
It is the second time this year that the Congress has been hit hard by rebellion. The MoS Home said, “if the MlAs don’t want to stay with Congress, what can the others do”.
The Congress on the other hand dubbed the new dispensation as an “illegitimate child of BJP” and blamed Modi and Shah for the “diabolical design to decimate democracy”. “Gross and rampant misuse of money power finally delivered an immoral Government of opportunists and turncoats. The mandate of the people of Arunachal Pradesh, who voted Congress party to power, has been robbed in broad daylight,” Randeep Surjewala said.
The party lost its Government when 43 of its MlAs led by Chief Minister Pema Khandu defected and merged with the People’s Party of Arunachal, just two months after it had regained power following the Supreme Court’s judgment.
Addressing a Press conference, along with AICC general secretary CP Joshi, Surjewala alleged that “architects of extinguishing and murdering” the very spirit of democracy and constitutionalism are Modi and Shah who rode to power on the promise of cooperative federalism.
“The prodigal sons of Congress who have jumped ship have made massive ideological and political blunder and compromise,” he said, hitting hard at the 43 of its 44 MlAs who defected.
He alleged that the Congress MlAs have also destroyed trust of people of Arunachal Pradesh, who voted for them as candidates of Congress. “Despite the Supreme Court judgment, the fraud that was committed is very ominous for democracy in India,” Joshi said expressing concern over its impact in the Northeast.
Accusing the BJP of using money and muscle power, he said having been thwarted twice, BJP began by engineering defections, inducements and threats to subvert the people’s mandate.
Asked why the Congress failed to stop the wholesale defection, Joshi said that the message sent by the BJP was that if any state wanted development, it has to be in tune with the ruling party at the Centre.