New Delhi: The constitutional crisis in Uttarakhand seems to have divided the saffron camp, with the BJP cadre in the hill state miffed over the Central leadership’s move to support Congress rebels and impose President’s Rule in the hill state in “haste”.
BJP cadres are worried that the Uttarakhand High Court’s “adverse comments” against the Centre’s decision to impose President’s Rule will only add to the party’s woes.
Move will boomerang, feel BJP men
Some sections of the BJP in the hill state feel that the party’s central leadership was trying to do a Bihar in Uttarakhand and that it would boomerang on the party. Before the Bihar election, the BJP had extended support to Jitan Ram Manjhi, who had become a rebel and was creating trouble for Mr Nitish Kumar.
The Uttarakhand high court, in a veiled to the Centre on Wednesday, said it hoped it would not “provoke” the court by revoking the Central Rule in the state now and making clear the decision is open to judicial review as even the President can go wrong.
“There is no king or absolutism. Howsoever high you are, the law is above you. Legitimacy of relevant inference drawn from the material that is placed before the President is open to judicial review,” a bench of Chief Justice K.M. Joseph and Justice V.K. Bist said.
“We hope they will not provoke us” till a verdict is delivered on the petition challenging its imposition, the Bench said.
The Bench made the observations after senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi raised the apprehension that President’s Rule might be revoked before verdict is pronounced or even reserved.
Feedback reaching the BJP central leadership, sources said, shows that both the Central government and the saffron leadership are being blamed for creating the constitutional crisis in the state.
BJP leader in charge of Uttarakhand affairs Shyam Jaju on Wednesday held a meeting with party national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and senior leaders Satpal Maharaj and B.S. Koshiyari.
The BJP leadership has been claiming that it has the required numbers to form the next government in the state.
While hearing arguments on ousted chief minister Harish Rawat’s petition challenging President’s Rule in the state and other related petitions, the Uttarakhand high court had on Tuesday rapped the Centre for “introducing chaos” in the state.
