Cong Arunachal crisis: Resigned in best interest of state, says Khandu

After resigning from the Congress party with 42 other MLAs, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Friday said that the decision to resign from the party was unanimous, adding that the aspiration of the people of state is very regional in character and it was necessary to have a synergy between the two.

"It was a unanimous decision of all the Congress Legislators to merge with the regional political party, Peoples Party of Arunachal (PPA)," Khandu said in a statement.

"We must face the fact that the aspirations of the people of Arunachal Pradesh are very high and these aspirations are very regional in character. The politics of the state has therefore to be in tune with the aspirations of our people all of us, in the true spirit of team Arunachal," he added.

Khandu said that as elected leaders it is their prime objective to get the best for the state. So, it is their responsibility for improving the lives of each and every citizen.

Khandu further indicated towards the difficult financial position faced by the Arunachal Government and said that they are trying to overcome the burden of finances which had been inherited.

"Our Govt has inherited a very difficult financial position. I would not like to play a blame game on any of my predecessors. But the fact is that we are in a difficult position financially. As on date, without going into details, I can share with the people of Arunachal that the cumulative deficit we inherited was about Rs 3700 Crores. We have already cleared till date liabilities of about Rs 1200 Crores. But please remember this has been paid out of the resources meant for this year. Another Rs 2500 Crores liability is still pending," he said.

He further asked the people of state to trust the government and their decisions and assured to take best course of action available in the highest interest of the State.

This is the second time in seven months that the PPA has been gifted a government in the frontier state.

In the 60-member House with an effective strength of 58, the Congress had the support of 47 MLAs, including two Independents, while Opposition BJP has 11 members.

Khandu was sworn-in as the ninth Arunachal Chief Minister on 17 July.

In a dramatic turnaround in this land-locked state on July 16, Congress replaced Nabam Tuki by choosing Khandu as the new Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, who staked claim to power on the basis of support of 45 party MLAs along with two Independents.