Arunachal Minister Threatens Voters: ‘No Schemes If BJP Loses’
Minister Ojing Tasing faces backlash after video shows him warning that villages not voting for BJP would be denied welfare schemes and funds.
ITANAGAR- In a shocking breach of democratic norms, Arunachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj Minister Ojing Tasing on Tuesday openly threatened voters in Lower Dibang Valley district that government welfare schemes and development funds would not reach villages or panchayat segments where the BJP loses in the ongoing panchayat elections.
“I am saying this directly – in those panchayat segments where the BJP loses, welfare schemes will not be given. Remember this, as the Panchayat Minister himself is saying it,” Tasing declared while campaigning for BJP candidate Gunu Linggi at his official residence-cum-camp office in Roing on December 2.
The statement, made in the presence of senior party leaders and recorded on video, has triggered statewide condemnation, with the opposition Congress terming it “blatant misuse of power” and a “direct assault on the Constitution”.
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Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) demanded the immediate resignation of the minister, registration of a criminal case against him, and his removal from the cabinet.
“Government money does not belong to the BJP; it belongs to the people of Arunachal Pradesh. Threatening to deny basic development and welfare schemes to citizens for exercising their democratic right is undemocratic, unconstitutional and amounts to criminal intimidation,” APCC spokesperson Kon Jirjo Jotham said in a statement on Wednesday.
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The Congress has also approached the State Election Commission, urging it to take suo motu cognizance of the “grave violation” of the Model Code of Conduct.
This is not the first controversy involving Minister Ojing Tasing. In May 2025, he faced severe criticism after women protesters from the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project-affected areas accused him of physical assault during a public hearing.
Neither Minister Tasing nor the ruling BJP has issued any clarification or rebuttal till the filing of this report.
Political observers say the minister’s remarks could prove costly for the BJP, which is aiming for a clean sweep in the three-tier panchayat polls currently underway across the state.
The incident has once again put the spotlight on the alleged weaponisation of government machinery and development funds by ruling parties during elections in the northeastern state.
