Opposition in the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly is non-existent now with the lone BJP member joining the ruling Congress.

Amid the BJP crying foul over the incident, Congress said the trend is not healthy for democracy, but defended recruiting the saffron party legislator into its fold.

General Secretary of the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee, T C Tok argued that if anyone wants to join the Congress on his or her own free will, the party cannot say no. 

"It is obvious that we like to make our party strong".

The incident has proved that no one can thwart the party from being in power in the hill state, he said.

"Absence of any opposition MLA in an assembly is definitely not healthy for democracy, but we can do nothing in this regard," Tok told PTI over phone from Itanagar.

Congress has ruled Arunachal Pradesh, since it attained statehood in 1987 except for a brief period during which Gegong Apang, a Congressman who revolted and formed the Arunachal Congress, switched loyalty to the BJP during his stint as chief minister in 2003.

The government then was formed by the Arunachal Congress-led coalition United Democratic Front. The front members joined the BJP while still in power.

In the 2004 Assembly elections, BJP won only nine seats and formed the opposition. Incidentally, Apang rejoined the Congress before the elections.

In June last year, eight of the saffron party members joined the Dorjee Khandu-led Congress government.

 

A few weeks ago, the lone BJP MLA, R T Khunjuju, gave his allegiance to the ruling Congress, leaving the 60-member House without an opposition member.

Welcoming Khunjuju to the party, Tok said, "His inclusion will strengthen our position in the coming elections. If members from the Opposition join us, it is not our fault. It is the duty of the opposition themselves to see if they are maintaining the principles of democracy."

Meanwhile, the BJP has alleged that the Congress has "lured" their members to join them.

"The Congress has lured and even forced our party members to join them. It is against the principles and ethics of democracy," BJP state Vice-President L Wangmun said.

"The party will raise the issue in the poll agenda of the coming Assembly elections in the state," he said.

Independent candidate Pinch Ngurang from Doimukh constituency said, "The move definitely is against the principles of democracy as the opposition plays a vital role in a healthy governance. But in Arunachal, the situation is such that no one wants to be in the Opposition. There is a psychology among the voters to support the ruling party only."

"It is that psychological pressure from the voters that compels a person to join the ruling party," he said.

At present, there are 14 Independent MLAs in the Arunachal Assembly. All of them are supporting the Congress which now has 44 MLAs. The two Arunachal Congress members are also backing the ruling party.

Ngurang, however, said many of the Independents may join the BJP if they were denied Congress tickets in the coming Assembly elections.

The BJP is chalking out a strategy to form a pre-poll alliance with the Independents, Wangmun said. The state will go to polls in October next year.

Though BJP has no representation in the Assembly now, the border state is represented in the Lok Sabha by two BJP MPs, Khiren Rijiju and Tapir Gao. The state's only Rajya Sabha seat was won by Congress candidate Mukut Mithi in 2007. Mithi was also the former chief minister of the state.