Itanagar, Dec. 31 (PTI): The Bharatiya Janata Party formed a new government in Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday with 33 lawmakers of the People’s Party of Arunachal led by Chief Minister Pema Khandu joining the party, two days after his party had suspended him.

Khandu, a former Congress leader, paraded the 33 PPA members of the legislative assembly who are backing him before Speaker Tenzing Norbu Thongdok, who recognised them as BJP members in a House of 60. The BJP has 11 MLAs, the PPA had 43.

The high-voltage political drama began late Thursday night after PPA President Kahfa Bengia temporarily suspended Khandu, his deputy Chowna Mein and five MLAs from the party’s primary membership for alleged anti-party activities.

On Friday, the PPA, a partner in the North East Democratic Alliance government, had chosen Takam Pario as the new chief minister.

But most of the MLAs who had backed Pario later sided with Khandu, who had broken away from the Congress in September together with 42 MLAs.

On Saturday, the PPA also suspended four other lawmakers --Honchun Ngandam, Bamang Felix, Punji Mara and Pani Taram.

“Lotus has finally bloomed in Arunachal. The people of the state will see a new dawn of development in the new year under the new government,” Khandu told reporters.

BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav hailed the installation of a party government in Arunachal Pradesh.

“Arunachal Pradesh becomes 10th BJP ruled state and 14th with BJP alliances. Congratulations to CM Pema Khandu and welcome into BJP Parivar,” Madhav tweeted.

The PPA accused the BJP of hijacking its MLAs to install its government in the state.

PPA President Kahfa Bengia criticised NEDA convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma, a BJP leader, for remaining a silent spectator during the political crisis. PPA is a partner of the NEDA.

”The NEDA convenor instead of coming to the state to resolve the crisis went to Kenya. He should have deputed somebody to sort out the differences between the MLAs of the party,” Bengia said.

”The PPA is not comfortable with NEDA in the state and we are going to discuss the issue with other constituent members of the alliance soon,” PPA central working committee Chairman Kamen Ringu said, while supporting Bengia.

Elaborating on the decision to merge with the BJP, Khandu said that circumstances compelled the MLAs to take the decision in the interest of the people and the state.

”After several years of Congress misrule we observed that there was no visible development in the state. We joined the PPA with the intention to take the state to progress and prosperity, but there too, we find similar condition where the party president treated the MLAs undemocratically.

”So with focus on development, our MLAs decided to join the BJP for overall progress of the state,” the chief minister said.