The merger also brought to full circle the minor political drama that began with former Congress chief minister Gegong Apang breaking away from the party and floating the Arunachal Congress three years ago. Last January, a group of 26 AC MLAs, led by Mukut Mithi, revolted against Apang and ended his 19-year-long reign. The rebels floated AC (Mithi) and formed the Government headed by Mithi.

At a rally here, the AC(M)-Congress merger was announced in the presence of Congress leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma, AICC General Secretary Ambica Soni and Nagaland Chief Minister S C Jamir. The ``homecoming'' of the former Congressmen, as Sangma described it, is expected to boost the Congress morale in the Northeast, where rebels broke away from the party in several other sectors.

The Congress recovery in Arunachal has alsocome on the eve of the crucial Parliament session later this week. Apang made his Arunachal Congress an ally of the Vajpayee Government, while the new Chief Minister Mithi pledged to strengthen the hands of Sonia Gandhi.

Following the merger, the Congress has 35 MLAs and eight supporting Independents in the 60 member Assembly. Chief Minister Mithi hinted that three more MLAs might soon desert Apang and join the ruling party.

Talking to reporters this afternoon, Mithi said his Government had urged the Centre to consider reopening traditional trade routes between the State and Myanmar and China.

Besides, the new Government has also taken up with the Centre the vexed issue of the Chakma and Hajong refugees living in the State. A Union Home Ministry team visited Itanagar last month to discuss the issue with the new Government. On this, however, Mithi's views were identical to the Apang Government's -- the refugees would not be given permanent citizenship in the State.

Mithi claimed that the operations ofthe outlawed National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) in Tirap and Changland districts of the State had been under check since the new Government took over. ``Earlier, they wanted to secede from India, but now they demand that the two districts be given Union Territory status,'' the Chief Minister said.

He denied that his Government had exploited and encouraged ethnic divisions in the State and blamed Apang for ``dividing the State on ethnic lines''. The reunited Congress, he claimed, would strive to bring the State closer to the national mainstream, while, at the same time, try to fulfill regional aspirations.