ARUNACHAL PRADESH: VETERAN CHIEF MINISTER OUSTED IN

UNCLAS KOLKATA 000119

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PINR IN
SUBJECT: ARUNACHAL PRADESH: VETERAN CHIEF MINISTER OUSTED IN
INTRA-PARTY POLITICKING



1. (U) Summary: On April 9, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister
Gegong Apang was replaced by his Power Minister Dorjee Khandu.
Dissident legislators in the state Congress Party compelled the
Congress Party national leadership, already unhappy with Apang's
rule, to effect the change. The shuffle may be temporary, as
the politically savvy Apang is likely to try and win back his
position. A bio of Dorjee Khandu is attached in paragraph 5.
End Summary.


2. (SBU) On April 9, Arunachal Pradesh's Power Minister Dorjee
Khandu was sworn in as Chief Minister after Gegong Apang
formally stepped down from the post in the presence of the
Congress Party's Northeast in-charge Oscar Fernandes and Union
Information and Broadcasting Minister P.R. Das Munshi. This
ended a 10-day political crisis, caused by complaints from
ruling state Congress legislators. Apang, due to his autocratic
style of governance, lost the confidence of his legislators and
29 of 33 Congress representatives in the 60-member Assembly
lobbied Congress Party leadership in Delhi for a change and
pushed for Khandu to be appointed Chief Minister. The Congress
Party dissidents claimed to have the support of two Nationalist
Congress Party legislators, one legislator from the regional
party Arunachal Congress and 11 Independents, and threatened to
defect from the Congress Party en masse if their demand was not
met.


3. (SBU) Apang, who has headed the state government off and on
for 23 years under different political party banners, had become
Chief Minister for the fifth time in October 2004. Khandu's
supporters alleged that Apang's rule was autocratic, that he
seldom consulted them on government decisions, and that they
were disillusioned over Apang's distribution of cabinet
portfolios. Moreover, Congress leadership in Delhi was unhappy
with Apang's individual deal-making in defiance of their wishes.
He awarded two hydroelectric power projects to private
developers Reliance Energy and Jai Prakash Associates after the
National Hydroelectric Power Corporation had spent 100 crore
rupees (about USD 10 million) ) preparing detailed project
reports. Apang had also been an obstacle in the creation of the
Northeast Water Resources Authority, a pet project of Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh.


4. (SBU) Comment: Khandu does not have the political stature of
Apang and may not be supported by all of Arunachal Pradesh's 25
tribes, and his rule may be short-lived. Apang, a savvy
politician, has a track record of engineering political
situations and is not averse to switching political loyalties.
He may try to stage a comeback in the near future. End comment.


5. (SBU) Biography of Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu: Dorjee
Khandu was born on March 19, 1955. A Buddhist from Tawang
district, he served in Indian army intelligence for several
years and was awarded a medal for meritorious service during
India's 1971 Bangladesh War. Khandu participated in district
politics for a decade until he was elected to the state Assembly
for the first time in 1990. He was Power Minister under Apang
and Mines and Minerals Minister in the earlier Congress
government headed by Mukut Mithi.

JARDINE