Congress legislator Pema Khandu was on Sunday sworn in as the ninth Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, ending the recent political upheaval that the frontier State had been witnessing in the last couple of days. Khandu (37) became the youngest Chief Minister in the country.
Along with Khandu, Chowna Mein was also sworn in as the Deputy CM. Both were given the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Tathagata Roy at a function held at the Durbar Hall of the Raj Bhavan in Itanagar.
“My father tried his best to take Arunachal on the road to development. A lot of projects, initiated over the past two years and during my father’s tenure, are pending. So, my priority will be to implement them. The people have a lot of expectations from me as I am the son of a former CM,” said Khandu, the youngest son of former CM Dorjee Khandu, who died in an air crash in the state in 2011.
“There are so many senior persons in the party and my focus will be to build the team Arunachal involving all of them and work for overall development. There shouldn’t be any politics as far as development is concerned and instead of fighting with one another, we all must work together for Arunachal’s development,” Khandu said.
Khandu had entered the politics of Arunachal Pradesh in 2011 after the death of his father. He contested the 2011 elections on a Congress ticket from Mukto constituency in Tawang district, which was represented by his father. Pema won the elections uncontested and accommodated in the cabinet as Minister for tourism and water resources development.
“I am ready for the floor test and I sought time from the governor for the expansion of the Cabinet. The governor left for Tripura (he is the full-time governor of that state) as soon as the swearing-in was over. So, once he gives time, I will expand the Cabinet,” he said.
Asked about the exodus of people from villages on the Arunachal-China border, Khandu said the Central government had launched a scheme “Border Area Development Programme” for the welfare of people living in villages along international border. He said his government too would initiate some schemes for them.
Asked about Arunachal’s move for a series of hydro-power projects, Khandu said he would take the people, likely to be affected, into consideration before finalizing any deal.
Interestingly, the swearing in ceremony of Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein was participated by all the 45 Congress legislators including former Chief Ministers Nabam Tuki and Kalikho Pul. Pul, who led a dissidence against the Nabam Tuki government and toppled him in February this year to become the Chief Minister himself, was seen hugging Tuki in the function.
Tuki even went on to tell the photographers to click good photographers of the duo and said that they have been friends and not enemies and will be friends forever.
After he was unanimously elected the leader of Congress legislature Party (ClP) and Nabam Tuki tendered his resignation to the Governor, he met the Governor on Saturday and staked claim to form the Government.