Tuesday 29 March 2016

Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat requests Governor KK Paul to allow them to prove majority

Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat requests Governor KK Paul to allow them to prove majority

Drafting of the letter  


Rawat also claimed that they have full majority and all their members are intact. The figures
being touted (about our government's strength being reduced) are totally wrong, he said.
President's Rule was imposed in Uttarakhand today after days of political uncertainty
triggered by a rebellion in the ruling Congress, prompting Rawat to accuse the 
BJP-led central government of murdering democracy.

A Rashtrapati Bhavan source said President Pranab Mukherjee approved the union 
cabinet's decision to dismiss the Rawat-led Congress government. The cabinet
met Saturday night with Prime Minister NarendraModi in the chair and recommended
central rule in the hill state.

The president signed the proclamation, which also recommended placing the state
assembly in suspended animation, the source said. This is Uttarakhand's first 
experience with President's Rule since it was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in 2000.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Governor KK Paul, the chief minister did not
spare the central government and Prime Minister Modi too.

Modi had the "blood of the aspirations of the people of Uttarakhand on his hands", 
he said, alleging that the BJP-led central government slashed the budget for his state 
and even cut funds for the restoration of the Kedarnath temple, devastated by the 2013 
flash floods, and the Kumbh Mela.

He hinted that the Congress may move court against the decision to impose President's Rule.

"We will take support to all legal options. This will be decided by our advocates. I was 
heading a very delicate majority. If Congress comes back to power, we will increase the Vidhan 
Sabha seats from 70 to 90."
The central government justified the Uttarakhand decision, saying the state was "a textbook
 case for enforcing President's Rule" on grounds of "breakdown of governance".

"I believe there cannot be a better example (for implementing President's Rule)," Finance 
Minister Arun Jaitley said in New Delhi. "For the last nine days, the constitution was being 
violated in Uttarakhand."
The crisis in the state began when nine Congress legislators, including former chief minister 
Vijay Bahuguna, who Rawat replaced, revolted against the chief minister and turned to the 
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which was happy to support them.
On March 18, things came to a head when the assembly passed the budget appropriation 
bill by voice vote even as more than half the members in the house sought a division, which 
would have led to recorded voting.
The rebel Congress lawmakers supported the BJP's demand for a conscience vote. Speaker 
Govind Kunjwal declined the request.
Before the rebellion, the Congress had 36 members in the 70-member house and the BJP 31. 
With nine of its lawmakers aligning with the BJP, the Congress was left with 27 and six from 
smaller parties backing the Rawat government. The chief minister was asked to prove his 
majority on Monday but the central government decided to act a day earlier.
On Saturday, the 69-year-old chief minister was shown striking an alleged multi-crore rupees 
deal for bringing the rebels back into the party. The sting operation was aired by an Uttarakhand 
channel.
The Congress leader denied the allegation and accused the BJP of "buying" the Congress rebels 
to topple his government. He said his two former colleagues - Bahuguna and Harak Singh 
Rawat - had connived with the BJP.
The Congress said it was not surprised.
"The real desire of the government of India is to bring down duly-elected governments of small 
states in an undemocratic and unconstitutional manner," party general secretary Ambika Soni said.
"At every step, constitutional rules have been broken...it is so glaring for everyone to see."
The Uttarakhand decision also came under fire from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said his party was not averse to forming the next 
government in Uttarakhand if given an opportunity.


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