Arunachal: BJP says Cong bribing candidates to combat Modi wave

Better known as a picturesque tourist spot, Arunachal Pradesh now stands on the threshold of a change in governance. Days before the state goes for the two-tier polls-Lok Sabha and Assembly-the political atmosphere in the country’s easternmost state has heated up considerably. While the Congress is going overboard to retain its domination both in the Assembly and parliamentary seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party is hoping that the electorate has also been caught up in the Narendra Modi wave. However, with days to go before 9 April when the state goes to polls, the battle has grown bitter with open mud-slinging between all sides involved. Arunachal Pradesh has 60 Assembly constituencies and two Lok Sabha seats – Arunachal (East) and Arunachal (West). The east seat covers 33 Assembly seats and the west 27. [caption id=“attachment_1451713” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Arunachal has become a slug fest for both parties[/caption] “The Congress is poaching our candidates with crores of rupees, assuring them of lucrative contracts afterwards and also of constitutional positions. As per the information I have, they have met in Itanagar hotels and offered anywhere between Rs 5 to Rs 15 crore. There is a lot of hue and cry among the public because of the wrongdoings of the Congress. The dealings are mostly happening in the small pockets of Assembly seats and it will help the Congress in the Lok Sabha polls too. It is surprising that the Election Commission is being blind to all these things. While the vehicles of the opposition leaders are thoroughly checked, those of the ministers are not checked,” Arunachal Pradesh BJP president Tai Tagak told Firstpost from Itanagar. “Even the Raj Bhavan has failed to implement the President’s Rule properly and the Assembly has not been adjourned sine die so far. So far the whole situation is that of chaos in the state,” Tagak alleged. “There is a political coup in Arunachal Pradesh. Even the local media is owned by the kith and kin of Congress and they are not highlighting anything. So deep-rooted has been the corruption in the state that almost all Congress MLAs have properties in cities like Delhi, Pune and Nagpur,” he said. “The state government has pushed the state into acute financial crisis as well as it failed to pass crucial financial bills and the state will remain money-crunched till the polls are over,” Tagak said. The Congress immediately rejected all the allegations made by the BJP that they are electioneering using any unethical means. “If somebody is being offered something why should they accept it? If they are true BJP soldiers and follow the party’s ideologies they should not possess any kind of greed. And moreover, the Congress is not offering anything to anyone. We are confident of an absolute majority and we will win beyond 40 seats. Six of our candidates have already won uncontested and since the last date of withdrawal is 26 March let’s see what happens,” said Arunachal Pradesh Congress chief and former chief minister Mukut Mithi. Mithi, who is also a Rajya Sabha member from the state, also made it clear that none of the party’s candidates both in the state and parliamentary polls were in any danger of anti-incumbency. He also dismissed the possibility of a Narendra Modi wave in the state. “There is no Narendra Modi wave anywhere leave alone Arunachal Pradesh. People in the state vote on the choice of candidates that the parties make. The voting pattern is entirely determined by the personality of the candidates,” he said. However, the state Congress chief did not confirm if incumbent Chief Minister Nabam Tuki would continue in office. “This will depend on the majority decision of the legislators. There may not be consensus on one candidate but we will go by the choice of the majority,” Mithi said. Arunachal West MP Takam Sanjoy who is running for the seat on a Congress ticket again, was also quick to dismiss the Modi wave. “The so-called Modi wave is absolutely nil in Arunachal Pradesh. During his rally in Pasighat, Modi made no impact on the voters but he did manage to jeopardise India-China diplomatic relations by giving an aggressive twist. He alerted the Chinese side with his rhetoric and there have been more incidents of intrusions as they have started probing more. This hard stand without knowing the ground realities may destroy bilateral ties. It is highly incorrect for a prime ministerial candidate to make such kind of statement,” Sanjoy told Firstpost from Itanagar. “Besides we have been doing large scale campaigning and holding large-scale rallies,” he said. Regarding the Modi wave, the state BJP unsurprisingly holds an opposite view. “The Modi wave is having a wonderful impact in Arunachal Pradesh. People are fed up with the state and Central governments of the Congress. The literacy rate is also increased in the state and the people will make a well-informed choice. We had massive response in almost all districts where we conducted the Sarvatra Parivartan Yatra. The younger generations need change for a good and secured life. There is insecurity in terms of border tensions, underground militant organisations, frequent shutdowns and dismal infrastructure. Modi will change all that as the BJP central leadership is taking special of the state as a whole and not only party workers,” Tagak said. The state BJP chief, however, appeared defensive when asked why the party allowed former Congress leader and state chief minister Gegong Apong to join the party when he was even arrested in August 2010 for his alleged involvement in the Rs 1,000 crore scam in Public Distribution System (PDS) in Arunachal Pradesh. “Gegong Apong is the second longest serving chief minister of the country after West Bengal’s Jyoti Basu. Apong was only arrested and not convicted. He is enthusiastic to join the BJP and will help us expand the political base,” Tagak said. Apang will fight the Assembly polls from Yingkiong constituency.