The Hindu : Mithi Government voted out

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 03, 2003

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Mithi Government voted out

The Arunchal Pradesh Chief Minister, Mukut Mithi, makes a point during his address at the special Assembly session in Itanagar on Saturday. At right, Gagang Apang, leader of the newly-formed United Democratic Front, is all smiles. — Photos: Ritu Raj Konwar

GUWAHATI Aug. 2. The minority Congress Government of Mukut Mithi in Arunachal Pradesh was tonight defeated on the floor of the State Assembly by a voice vote after a stormy eight-hour debate during a special session.

The Mithi's Government was reduced to a minority on July 27 when 31 Congress MLAs broke ranks and joined hands with the former Chief Minister, Gegong Apang, to form the United Democratic Front alliance to stake claim to form the Government.

Mr. Mithi, who had taken over after engineering the downfall of Mr. Apang four years ago, was defeated by Congress defectors led by the former Chief Minister.

The Governor, V.C. Pande, convened today's session for Mr. Mithi to prove his majority on the floor of the House after Mr. Apang paraded 42 MLAs before him on July 28.

Mr. Mithi, in a desperate move to stall the special session, had moved a writ petition at the Itanagar bench of the Gauhati High Court.

The petition, challenging the authority of the Speaker, Tamiyo Taga, to conduct the proceedings, was admitted by the court and posted for hearing on Monday.

The session began on schedule at 3 p.m. with Congress MLAs loyal to Mr. Mithi questioning the propriety of Taga presiding, in view of the pendency of the writ petition filed by the Health and Family Welfare Minister, Hari Notung, yesterday.

Mr. Taga, however, told members that he had not received any communication from the High Court on a stay order or otherwise in regard to the proceedings of the House.

He told the House that whatever he was doing was legal. The Governor had summoned the special session and he had to conduct it according to the provisions of the Constitution.

Participating in the debate, the leader of the 42-member UDF, Mr. Apang said he was the lone Opposition member in the House and was not craving for power.

Mr. Apang, the sole Arunachal Congress member in the House, said his friends who wanted his services for the State, had made him the leader of the UDF. Criticising the Congress for unnecessarily taking the issue to court, he said the party did this just to confuse the people.

He said during his 19 years of chief ministership, he had never been a traitor.

Mr. Apang said that while moving the confidence motion, Mr. Mithi had painted a rosy picture of his achievements and unnecessarily hurled charged against the Centre to hide his own failures.

Refuting accusations that he had links with the NSCN(I-M), Mr. Apang said that he would renounce politics if this was ever proved.

PTI

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