The internal bickering in the ruling Congress in Arunachal Pradesh manifested into public outcry against the 'misrule' of Chief Minister Jarbom Gamlin by the powerful Nyshi community in the state. The All Nyishi Students' Union and the Nyshi Elite Society are spearheading the 'oust Gamlin' campaign raising an eyebrow about the possible involvement of Gamlin's bête noir and senior minister Nabam Tuki.
Tuki, who is a prominent member of the Nyishi community, is disgruntled after his hopes to become the chief minister of the bordering hill state were dashed after the then power minister Gamlin made his way to the hot chair in May following the death of the then chief minister Dorjee Khandu in a helicopter crash.
The ANSU and the NES have set an October 12 deadline for Gamlin to step down accusing him of failing to govern and holding him responsible for deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Both the organisations have called upon all the legislators from the Nyishi community to withdraw support to Gamlin if he did not to quit.
The two agitating Nyishi organisations have called for 36-hour state-wide bandh on October 12 and 13. "We have resolved to demand the resignation of Chief Minister Jarbom Gamlin and fixed October 12 as a deadline. In case he refuses to quit, then we will demand his dismissal and imposition of President's rule in the state in view of the deteriorating law and order situation in the state," said a leader of Nyishi Elite Society.
Thousands people from the five Nyishi-dominated districts in Arunachal gathered at the Indira Gandhi Park in Itanagar on Friday responding to a call from ANSU and NES and demanding Gamlin's ouster.
The Nyishi community is a dominant tribe in five of the 17 districts of Arunachal Pradesh and has 14 MLAs in the 60-member state assembly. Two of them are ministers and four others parliamentary secretaries in the Congress government headed by Gamlin.
So far, no one from the dominant Nyishi community has become the chief minister in the state since it first got a provisional assembly in 1975.
A political crisis has been brewing in the state with a section of the Congress legislators raising a demand for replacing the incumbent chief minister Gamlin by senior minister Nabam Tuki. The Congress has 42 legislators in the 60-member Arunachal assembly.
Both pro-Gamlin and anti-Gamlin groups have claimed majority in the House before the party high command. Representatives of both the groups and their supporters are camping in New Delhi waiting for a nod from Congress president Sonia Gandhi to press for their respective cases.
