BJP, Cong knock at Pranab’s door

The Uttarakhand crisis reached the doors of President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday, after both the BJP and Congress, which is ruling the State, met him with a list of worries.

While the BJP demanded that President’s rule be established in the State, the Congress delegation told him the Centre is trying to thwart a democratically elected provincial government.

Days after the Arunachal Pradesh crisis, which saw Congress rebels forming a new government with the help of the BJP, the Congress high command was trying hard to diffuse a crisis in Uttarakhand.

The party expelled former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna’s son Saket and another leader for “anti-party” activities, even as beleaguered Chief Minister Harish Rawat accused the Centre of destabilising his government.

The action against Saket, whose father rebelled and voted against the government in the Assembly on Friday, and Congress joint secretary Anil Gupta, came after they were accused of siding with the nine MLAs who had rebelled against the Rawat government.

Addressing a press conference in Dehradun, Rawat accused the BJP-led Central government of “killing democracy” by using its brute majority to cause “political instability” in a small State, and the BJP of using “money and muscle” power.

This, he said, was not good for Uttarakhand as it may see a new Chief Minister every year and the dreams of the hill State will be shattered.

All BJP MPs from the State and 35 MLAs including Vijay Bahuguna and sacked minister Harak Singh Rawat and seven Congress rebel MLAs, marched from Vijay Chowk to Rashtrapati Bhawan.

“We have requested the President to direct the Governor to dismiss the Uttarakhand government,” BJP general secretary in-charge of the State Kailash Vijayvargiya told reporters after the meeting.

“We have asked the President to direct the Governor to give us time to prove our majority on the floor of the house,” he said in an apparent indication that a new government will be formed in the State soon. The party has claimed the support of 36 MLAs, including the nine rebel Congressmen, in a House of 70.

The party also alleged that Uttarakhand Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, who announced the passage of Finance Bill through voice vote and disallowed the division of votes, is working as a Chief Minister’s “agent” and asked him resign if he had even an iota of self respect left in him.

The Congress delegation told reporters that the BJP is trying to destabilise elected governments. “We apprised the President on how the BJP, with help from Centre, has been trying to dismantle the Opposition’s (Congress) government in the State,” Opposition leader in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said.

He added that they have requested the President that Rawat should be allowed to prove his majority as scheduled by the Governor on March 28.

“The Supreme Court had laid down the law very clearly — the majority of a government has to be tested on the floor of the House.

“The floor of the Assembly is the appropriate place to test whether a government enjoys the confidence of the House or not. It will be tested on the floor of the House at an appropriate time,” party spokesperson Manish Tewari said.

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