Guwahati: In what has turned the state capital into a battlefield, the supporters of Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Nabam Tuki on Thursday laid a seizure on Itanagar to block 33-legislators challenging his leadership from going to Raj Bhawan.
The legislators who joined the second day of the assembly session at makeshift venue in Nahalagun on Thursday elected former finance minister and a rebel Congress MLA Kalikho Pul as the leader of the house. Agency reports say he has become the Chief Minister of Arunchal Pradesh.
The legislators who had passed an impeachment motion against the speaker Nabam Rebia on Thursday elected deputy speaker T.N. Thongdok as new speaker of the house.
The face-off between pro-Tuki and anti-Tuki camp has also disrupted the normal life in the state capital as hundreds of Mr Tuki supporters had blocked all the roads going to Rajbhawan.
Though, it was not clear if Rajbhawan has issued any direction to appoint newly elected leader Mr Kalikho Pul as the chief minister of the state. The 33-legislators have been planning a march to Rajbhawan to handover resolution of the state assembly, which took place at makeshift venue. The new venue was selected after the speaker Mr Rebia directed the magistrate and police to lock up the assembly premises.
Meanwhile, ill-treatment of Congress ministers with Arunachal Governor J.P. Rajkhowa who hails from Assam has invited angry reaction from various section of society in Assam.
The Arunachal Governor had convened the winter-session of assembly to decide on an impeachment motion against the Speaker — a Congress leader — moved by 11 BJP MLAs and Congress rebels. Out of 60 member assembly, 33 members want a new leader. With the assembly building in Itanagar sealed, the rebels MLAs had limited option but seek permission for a new venue to conduct proceedings of the assembly.
Meanwhile, amidst the ongoing political drama in the frontier state of Arunachal Pradesh, the Gauhati High Court on Thursday provided a breather to Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Nabam Tuki camp by keeping in abeyance all decisions taken by the state assembly on Wednesday, removing the speaker Nabam Rebia.
