Gegong, going8230;gone?

When 25 of Arunachal Pradesh8217;s CLP members rushed to the national capital earlier this month to demand his replacement by Power Minister, Dorjee Khandu, Gegong Apang had thought it was just another storm that will soon blow over. The drama did end, but not before pulling the curtains down on him. The allegation that his detractors levelled against him was that he was corrupt and behaved like a dictator. They complained to Sonia Gandhi in writing that they were also not happy with the distribution of portfolios and that Apang was busier promoting son Omak Apang than working for the state.

Apang has, in fact, been at the centre of several controversies, beginning with the power deal scandal of 1996. Two years ago, a CBI inquiry against him was instituted. But the 58-year-old Adi tribal took these reversals in his stride. He had developed the art of the political manoeuvre. Little wonder then that he could convert almost the entire Congress party in the state into a regional outfit, 8216;Arunachal Congress8217;, in September 1996, with the support of 54 MLAs. He again proved his political cunning by taking the Arunachal Congress to the BJP. This got his son, Omak, an MoS berth in the Vajpayee government in 1998. But that same year saw the dropping of five ministers, including emerging heavyweight Mukut Mithi, which led to the latter bolting. Mithi floated the Arunachal Congress Mithi and joined hands with the Congress, and Apang was ousted in January 1999. He then worked over time to reduce Mithi8217;s government to a minority by August 2003 and came back to power as leader of United Democratic Front, a conglomeration of his own party, independents and others. A few months later, he and MLAs supporting him, merged with the BJP. Arunachal thus became the first BJP-ruled state in the Northeast.However Apang was only interested in power. He did not hesitate to shed his saffron hues after the BJP-led NDA lost power at the Centre in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. He then merged with the Congress. This was done a few weeks before the Arunachal assembly polls of October 2004. The Congress won a majority in those elections and Apang continued as CM. Until, that is, he lost his chair last week!

The new Arunachal CM, Dorjee Khandu, has several projects for his state. In his first interaction with the media soon after being sworn in as chief minister, he said that he would first like to streamline the state8217;s public distribution system, ensure the time-bound implementation of various power projects and take steps to ensure autonomy in the four districts of Tirap, Changlang, Tawang and West Kameng, under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. But before he settles down to do this, he must find a gubernatorial assignment for Apang. Otherwise there is no knowing when Apang will return as Arunachal8217;s CM.