197 BJP workers join Congress

From our correspondent

Itagar, Feb 12: 197 BJP workers of Lekang Assembly constituency in msai district of Aruchal Pradesh merged en-bloc with the Congress at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan here on Sunday.

Registering their strong opposition against the BJP, particularly Lekang MLA-cum-Deputy Chief Minister Chow Mein, BJP mandal committee leaders univocally said that they had joined the saffron party with high expectation, but unimously decided to rejoin the Congress after realizing that they were taken for a ride, Aruchal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) general secretary Tamchi Tahar said in a release here on Monday.

APCC president Takam Sanjoy, while terming the return to the Congress fold as ‘home coming,’ said the  Congress is the oldest party of India that is credited with achieving freedom from British Raj and  is deep rooted in grassroots level. “Congress-mukt Bharat, the efforts of present PM Modi and president Amit Shah will remain a dream,” Sanjoy said.

“The BJP has never won election in Aruchal Pradesh. The present BJP government was formed by importing Congress MLAs that amounted to murder of democracy, which has been justified by a court ruling. The same has been happening in various States and Union Territories, contradicting Modi,” Sanjoy added.