Dehradun/New Delhi: Both the BJP and the Congress reached Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday to present their side of the story to President Pranab Mukherjee over Uttarakhand’s political turmoil. The Congress expelled former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna’s son Saket from the party for indulging in “anti-party activities”. The BJP said the Harish Rawat government should be dismissed as it was in a minority, while the Congress accused the Centre of destabilising its state government. In its memorandum to the President, the Congress also said that though governor K.K. Paul had given time till March 28 to the Rawat government to prove its majority in the Assembly, “attempts are also being made to persuade the governor to prepone the session” and to recommend imposition of President’s Rule in Uttarakhand.
The Congress delegation comprised senior leaders A.K. Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Motilal Vora, Ambika Soni, Ahmed Patel and Kapil Sibal.
The BJP earlier took out a march from Vijay Chowk to Rashtrapati Bhavan before its leaders met the President, with all state MPs and MLAs, including the nine Congress rebel MLAs. Though the BJP earlier decided to take all the MPs and MLAs, including the Congress rebels, to meet the President, later only five BJP leaders met Mr Mukherjee.
The party told Mr Mukherjee that the Harish Rawat government had lost its majority after it failed to get the Finance Bill passed and had no moral right to remain in power.
“This (Uttarakhand) government is in a minority. It has no right to stay in power even for a minute,” said BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, adding they sought the President’s intervention and dismissal of the government.
He termed the Uttarakhand Speaker’s decision to declare the Finance Bill, on which the BJP and rebel Congress MLAs had sought a division of votes, as passed was “unconstitutional”. He said: “We have urged the President to go through the video-recorded proceedings of the House as it is clear that a majority of MLAs were against the Budget. The government had fallen on that very day.”
Chief minister Harish Rawat, describing the BJP-led Central government as “extra-powerful”, alleged that it had thrown all its might to shatter the dreams of Uttarakhand, adding that if governments continue to be “changed like used hankies” with “money and muscle power”, it will lead to perpetual instability in the state.
“Both democracy and secularism are being murdered in Uttarakhand today. The Centre’s extra-powerful government is out to shatter the dreams of a small state like ours,” Mr Rawat said in Dehradun. He said the Assembly was convened to decide the fate of the state government and the matter was before the constitutional authorities.
“It is not proper to comment on the political scenario as the matter is before the constitutional authorities... But I leave the task of deciding whether what happened was right or wrong on the enlightened people of the state,” he said.
Accusing the BJP of levelling unfounded allegations against the state government like corruption and having a nexus with the mining and land mafia, Mr Rawat said charges like these were being hurled at the government simply to vitiate the atmosphere.
On the expulsion of rebels, including Saket Bahuguna, state Congress chief Kishore Upadhyay said the disciplinary committee had recommended to the Pradesh Congress Committee that Saket and joint secretary Anil Gupta be expelled on the basis of their statements published in newspapers and broadcast by news channels.
Considering the activities of Saket Bahuguna, who was a two-time Lok Sabha candidate from Tehri, and Mr Gupta as “anti-party”, the PCC accepted the recommendation of the disciplinary committee and expelled them for six years.
Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal had on Sunday issued notices to nine rebel Congress MLAs asking them why they should not be disqualified from the House.
Suspended rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat has written to governor K.K. Paul asking him to call a sitting of the Assembly on March 22.
Sources said the governor had sent a report to the Union home ministry on the situation in the state that indicated a constitutional breakdown. The final detailed report will be sent after the floor test on March 28.
