Dissident leader bribing MLAs, claims Cong; lodges complaint

The complaint was lodged yesterday by APCC legal cell co-convener Tadar Nanang against Pul, former finance minister, with Itanagar police station

The Arunachal Pradesh unit of Congress has lodged a police complaint against dissident leader Kalikho Pul, accusing him of bribing party MLAs to join BJP and dethrone the Nabam Tuki government.

The complaint was lodged yesterday by Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) legal cell co-convener Tadar Nanang against Pul, former finance minister, with Itanagar police station.

Nanang alleged that Pul hatched a criminal conspiracy to malign the Tuki-led Congress government by creating serious law and order problem and defect to BJP.

"Pul and his team have been conspiring for defection from the Indian National Congress (INC) with the intention to merge with BJP. The sole motive of the conspiracy is to dethrone the present chief minister from his chair through means of creating serious law and order problem in the state," the APCC said in the complaint.

Nanang also submitted a purported telephone conversation between Pul and a top businessman of Assam, in which the former allegedly sought financial support to bribe the MLAs to revolt against the present incumbent and join the BJP.

Pul is currently in Delhi and calls to his mobile phone went unanswered.

Reportedly several of the 47 Congress MLAs in the 60-member House have revolted against Tuki led by Pul.

The party expelled Pul on April 2 for six years for alleged anti-party activities. A local court, however, had put a stay on the expulsion order in May.