Monday 16 / September / 2024
New Delhi:Congress on Sunday termed as "murder of democracy" and "unconstitutional" the decision of the central government to impose President's rule in north Indian state of Uttarakhand and said the Narendra Modi dispensation was out to bring down duly-elected governments.
"It is murder of democracy," Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said while commenting on dismissal of the party's government in Uttarakhand.
He said it demonstrates that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not believe in democracy. "It is not surprising...The real desire of the government of India is to bring down duly-elected governments of small states in an undemocratic and unconstitutional manner," Congress general secretary Ambika Soni said.
"At every step, constitutional rules have been broken... The Governor did not send the kind of report (rebel Congress leader Vijay) Bahuguna and BJP wanted...it is so glaring for everyone to see," she said. She said Chief Minister Harish Rawat would have proved his majority on the floor of Assembly on Monday.
On options available with the Congress, Soni said "CM Harish Rawat is in process of discussing with his Cabinet colleagues what is the best possible way forward."
Uttarakhand was brought under President's rule by the Centre on grounds of "breakdown of governance" in a controversial decision which comes in the wake of a political crisis triggered by a rebellion in the ruling Congress.
President Pranab Mukherjee signed the proclamation under Art 356 of the Constitution dismissing the Congress government headed by Rawat and placing the Assembly under suspended animation on Sunday on the recommendation of the Union Cabinet.
The Cabinet had held an emergency meeting here on Saturday night presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had cut short a visit to Assam to return to the capital for the purpose.
The Cabinet considered several reports received from Governor K. K. Paul, who had described the political situation as volatile and expressed apprehensions over possible pandemonium during the scheduled trial of strength in the state Assembly Monday.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is believed to have briefed the President late on Saturday night explaining the rationale for the Cabinet's recommendation. The dismissal of the Rawat government now renders Monday's confidence vote infructuous. It also came amidst reports that Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal had disqualified 9 rebel Congress MLAs that would have enabled Rawat to sail through in the trust vote.
The political crisis in the state arose after the controversial circumstances in which the Appropriation Bill was declared passed in the Assembly by the Speaker with the BJP and the rebel Congress claiming that a division of votes pressed by them was not allowed.
They alleged that the Bill was defeated in the voice vote by a majority of the members present but the Speaker did not test it in a proper division of votes.
The opposition claimed that it had a majority of 35 MLAs, including 9 rebels, in the House that day out of 67 MLAs present.
The BJP said the 35 MLAs had written to the Speaker in advance that they would be voting against the bill but the Speaker had refused to take it into his consideration.
On Saturday night, the Union Cabinet met amidst reports that the Speaker had disqualified the rebel Congress MLAs that would would have helped the beleaguered government. Apprehending imposition of President's rule, the Congress had attacked the BJP saying it was resorting to the extreme step as its earlier moves had failed.
