During a mass induction ceremony in Arunachal Pradesh on Monday, the Arunachal Democratic Party (ADP) legally merged with the Indian National Congress (INC), with all of its members and office-bearers joining the party. According to ADP President Tami Pangu, the Congress’s dedication to democracy, secularism, and constitutional ideals served as the impetus for the merger. Since the ADP is not represented in the House, the development will not affect the Congress’s influence in the state Assembly. In the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly, the Congress presently has one Member of Parliament. In front of senior state Congress leaders and party officials, Bosiram Sirma, president of the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), welcomed the ADP members into the party. “Equal responsibility and opportunity” inside the party hierarchy was what he promised the former ADP leaders. “This is not only a political realignment but an ideological alignment to defend democratic institutions and improve constitutional government,” Pangu said in an explanation of the action.
According to him, they would keep bringing up important state issues under the Congress platform, such as an examination of Article 371(H), worries about hydropower projects, and suspected illicit mining operations. The leaders also emphasized more general problems like inflation, unemployment, corruption, and deteriorating institutions, characterizing them as signs of a crisis in governance that calls for immediate remedial action. Pangu expressed gratitude to Gegong Apang, the previous chief minister, for giving them a platform within the Congress. They also praised AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, attributing their choice to Siram’s leadership and his resistance to the state’s ruling BJP.The newly recruited members vowed to strive for inclusive development, transparency, and people-centric governance in the state, referring to the mass induction as a “new chapter” in Arunachal Pradesh politics.
