Nabam Tuki’s autocratic decisions led to dissidence in Congress

The problem for the Congress government led by Nabam Tuki had started in December 2015 with the resignation of Pema Khandu, minister of tourism and urban development, who accused Mr Tuki of “miserably failing” in governance.

Mr Khandu’s resignation had come close on the heels of the dismissal of four senior ministers by Mr Tuki for their alleged involvement in dissident activities. Mr Tuki had also expelled present chief minister Kalikho Pul from the Congress party accusing him of engineering dissent in the party. The dissident camp in the Congress party got a fresh lease of life after governor J.P. Rajkhowa advanced the state Assembly session in which Opposition legislators, including the rebels, removed Mr Tuki and Speaker Mr Nabam Rebia.

The Congress government headed by chief minister Nabam Tuki was dismissed after 21 of the 47 MLAs rebelled against the chief minister. The Assembly proceedings took place in a community centre with a different speaker so that “bias” could be avoided, as per the governor’s direction. On February 19, the leader of the dissident faction, Kalikho Pul, was sworn in as chief minister, supported by 20 Congress rebels and 11 legislators of the BJP. However, the apex court on Wednesday said these proceedings were unconstitutional.

Mr Tuki first became chief minister in November 2011 by replacing Jarbom Gamlin after a three-month-long bitter infighting within the Congress party.

The dissidence in the Congress party took an ugly turn only after Congress high command refused to replace Mr Tuki who was accused to have been trying to marginalise most of the senior party leaders, including the son of former chief minister Dorji Khandu, who died in a helicopter crash in Tawang.