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Mithi govt wins trust vote

The two-day-old Mukut Mithi government in Arunachal Pradesh won the vote of confidence in the state assembly in Itanagar today by a voice vote.

A one-line motion of vote of confidence was moved by Chief Minister Mukut Mithi which was adopted after a brief discussion even as the entire opposition members were not present in the house.

Only 44 members, including the speaker and the deputy speaker, were present in the house when the motion was moved.

Governor Mata Prasad had asked the new chief minister to prove his majority in the house within a week while administering the oath of office and secrecy on January 19.

Moving the motion, Mithi said, "A new era of peace and prosperity for the people of the state has started."

He vehemently denied the allegation made by his predecessor Gegong Apang that the Arunachal Congress-Mithi has used the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang to come to the power and also to oust him (Apang).

The allegation made by Apang was ''totally false and baseless'', Mithi stated in the house.

Mithi, a former home minister of the state, said it was a fact that the elected representatives of Tirap and Changlang districts had met the NSCN-K group and formally arranged a peace meeting on December 15 to overcome the situation.

The NSCN-K was operating in these areas of the state since early part of 1980, he stated and added that it was a cause of concern to all, even to the Union home ministry.

''So initiating peace talks with the underground NSCN-K groups was not wrong and I welcomed the steps initiated by our elected leaders,'' Mithi said.

''We must have a dialogue with the NSCN-K. It is a good process to bring peace in the area. We had also informed the state governor and inspector general of police about the peace meeting. Even the member of Parliament from that side informed about ongoing peace meeting with the NSCN-K to the Union home minister,'' Mithi said.

''My government would continue this process in a bid to establish peace in that area so that developmental works could take place,'' the chief minister said.

Congress leader Neelam Taram also spoke in favour of the motion and cautioned the new government to look into the financial irregularities committed by the previous government.

UNI

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