For 18 long years the peaceful north-eastern state was spared the scourge of political somersaults. Gegong Apang reigned as Chief Minister, hoping to break Jyoti Basu's record in West Bengal. Predictably, Apang took Mithi and his men to task for rejoining the Congress. It was a betrayal of the people's trust, he moaned at the merger.

Ironically, Apang himself began the defection game that eventually consumed him.

It all started in the Lok Sabha elections in 1996. Apang, then a Congress Chief Minister, worked against the official party nominee to settle his scores with the party high command. He repeated the feat in the Rajya Sabha pollsin July that year.

His action was resented by some of his colleagues. But long years in office had made him think he, and not the party, mattered. So when some of his Cabinet colleagues showed signs of rebellion, he promptly dropped four in August, 1996 Neelam Taram, Dera Natum, L. Wanglat and T. Mugli. The dropped ministers and their followers moved the AICC for action against Apang.

The Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president, Talar Doi, was replaced by Tadak Dolum but the new State Congress president was barred from the party office by Apang's men. As Apang's tussle with the Congress high command worsened, he left the party in September, carrying with him almost the whole of the legislature party. On September 20, the breakaway Arunachal Congress led by Apang took over the government. From a Congress government it now changed to a government of the Arunachal Congress.

But, even as Apang led the revolt against the Congress and broke away from it, others in his camp were preparing to give him ataste of his own medicine. Sensing further trouble, he dropped another seven ministers, including Mithi, in September, 1998.

By this time, however, Apang had further distanced himself from the parent party and made his party an ally of the BJP-led government at the Centre after the February, 1998 Lok Sabha polls. He was rewarded with a Minister of State berth for his son at the Centre. But as the rebels' ranks swelled, the Congress struck, taking advantage of the ethnic divisions in Apang's party.

All 18 MLAs, including Ministers, of the majority Nishi community resigned from the AC, followed by the seven MLAs from Tirap and Changlang districts. They were joined by four Cong MLAs and six Independents. The Cong also weaned away some MLAs from Apang's own Adi community. The rebels, led by Mithi, formed the new Govt of AC(M) in January this year. Today, in the 60-member Assembly the reunited Congress has 44 MLAs, including six supporting Independents, while Apang is left with just 13. There are still threeunattached MLAs.

The divison in Apang's party also led to the split in the party's two-member Lok Sabha group, with his son remaining with AC and the AC(M) member now becoming a Congress MP. Arunachal has now relived the politics of defections. In the late 1970s, the Janata Party Government overnight became a Congress Government as the Morarji Desai government fell at the Centre paving the way for Indira Gandhi's comeback. Similarly, the present game may not be the last. More turnarounds are expected when the State Assembly elections, due early next year, are announced.