Apang back with a bang: CLP breaks

The revolt was led by two senior party leaders — former ministers L Wanglat and Lijum Roniya. The two accused Mithi of miserably failing to tackle the situation arising out of NSCN(I-M)’s activities in the districts of Tirap and Changlang and putting some of his own party MLAs in trouble in order to cover up his failures.

Wanglat was finance minister in the Apang government but kept out by Mukut Mithi. He was arrested two months ago under provisions of the Arunachal Pradesh Control of Criminal Activities Ordinance for allegedly having links with the NSCN(IM). Two other Congress MLAs, T L Rajkumar and Timpong Wangham, were also arrested, but Rajkumar was two weeks ago reinducted as a minister with state government spokesman Takam Sanjoy saying last week that he had agreed to become an official approver in the case.

Leader of Arunachal Congress, Apang is the lone non-Congress MLA in the assembly and has been looking for an opportune moment to settles scores with Mithi. Mithi had four years ago walked out of the Arunachal Congress to form a Congress government with the blessings of the then Congress stalwart of the region, P A Sangma.

Earlier, Apang had converted wholesale the Congress party in the state to Arunachal Congress and had become part of the National Front Government with his son, Omak Apang, becoming a minister at the Centre.

Meanwhile, Mukut Mithi, who was holding marathon closed-door meetings with his supporters, including Takam Sanjoy, has hit out at the BJP-led Government at the Centre, saying the NSCN(I-M) has been ‘‘emboldened’’ because of the Centre to stake claim over Arunachal territory.

The Mithi government had last week complained that it was not getting ‘‘enough’’ support from the NDA Government at the Centre to launch an operation against the NSCN(I-M).

In New Delhi, AICC in-charge of Arunachal Pradesh, Oscar Fernandes, said the party leadership was closely watching the situation.