President’s Rule In Arunachal Pradesh Amid Opposition Criticism
NEW DELHI: Arunachal Pradesh has been placed under President’s Rule a day after it was recommended by the cabinet in an unscheduled meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
President Pranab Mukherjee reportedly signed the order last night. The development is expected to ignite a political battle with the Congress vowing to fight it “tooth and nail”.
Sources say the government consulted the Attorney General and decided that law and order and governance had collapsed in Arunachal Pradesh and the situation warranted central intervention.
The Centre’s decision comes at a time seniormost Supreme Court judges are hearing petitions on the crisis.
The Congress condemned the decision and said it would fight it in court.
“They are destabilizing a border state. This is political intolerance and Modi is the fountainhead of that intolerance,” said former union minister Kapil Sibal on Sunday.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also criticised the Centre’s recommendation in tweets.
The turmoil began in Arunachal Pradesh on December 16 as 21 rebel Congress lawmakers joined hands with 11 BJP and two independent members to “impeach” Speaker Nabam Rebia at a makeshift venue.
27 MLAs in the 60-member Assembly, including Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, boycotted the session calling it illegal and unconstitutional.
A day later, the rebels and opposition lawmakers gathered at a community hall to “vote out” the Chief Minister and elect his replacement. A no-confidence motion moved by BJP and independent lawmakers was adopted with Deputy Speaker T Norbu Thongdok, who is also a rebel, in the Chair.
The Gauhati High Court put on hold the decisions taken at the rebel “session”. But after it dismissed the petition, the Speaker moved the Supreme Court, which has referred the case to a Constitutional bench.
Nabam Tuki has alleged that Governor Rajkhowa acted as a “BJP agent” and helped the rebel Congress lawmakers by calling an assembly session ahead of time.
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Source:Ndtv
