The People's Party of Arunachal (PPA) today filed petition before state legislative Assembly Speaker Nabam Rebia under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution seeking disqualification of its five former MLAs for deserting the party in December last year.
Five PPA MLAs - Pani Taram (Koloriang), P D Sona (Mechuka), Wanglam Sawin (Khonsa East), Tirong Aboh (Khonsa West) and Nikh Kamin (Bordumsa-Diyun), who deserted the party on December 19 last year, had joined the Congress.
"The entire process of merger was completed in a single day by the Speaker without following laid down procedures," PPA president Kahfa Bengia told reporters here.
Bengia, who filed the petition, said the party would soon file a writ petition against the Assembly Speaker for violating the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
He said the party after apprehending such a move had served intimation to the Speaker not to entertain any merger.
The Speaker, instead of observing the laid down constitutional provisions, admitted the MLAs into the Congress party and issued a bulletin on the same day, he said.
"The way in which the Speaker anointed the five MLAs as Congress members in connivance with Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, had defeated the Tenth Schedule," PPA secretary general Kaling Jerang said.
Terming defections as a "chronic disease" of the state, Ringu said because of defections regional political parties cannot grow in the state.
"The merger was a pre-planned strategy of the Congress and Chief Minister Nabam Tuki indirectly helped the PPA MLAs to win the April 19 Assembly elections last year to defeat some of the Congress MLAs who could pose political threat to him," alleged Bengia.
During the Rajya Sabha elections last year, the PPA MLAs supported Congress candidate Mukut Mithi disregarding party instruction, he added.
