New Delhi, Aug 24: Adding yet another state to its kitty, BJP today gave the green signal to the Gegong Apang-led coalition parties in Arunachal Pradesh to merge with the party, making it the first state in north-east to be singularly governed by the saffron party. Following a high-level meeting at the residence of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, party president M Venkaiah Naidu told newspersons that he has instructed general secretary (organisation) for north-eastern states, V Satish to guide the state unit in completing the formalities.

Naidu said that besides the Congress (D) with 36 MLAs, Apang's Arunachal Congress, an unattached member and two Independent members have written letters to him expressing their desire to join the BJP.

"We have decided to set in motion the process of completing the formalities of the merger," he said. Apang had last week met Naidu at the party headquarters here to discuss the modalities of the merger.

Asked about the Congress charge that BJP had engineered "wholesale defection" in Arunachal Pradesh, Naidu said, "when 12 BJP MLAs in Chhattisgarh were made ministers by Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, they did not moralise. The Arunachal MLAs have joined our party owing to disillusionment with the Congress."

Bureau Report