Uttarakhand HC strikes down Prez rule, tells Rawat to prove majority

New Delhi: In a huge political embarrassment to the Centre and the BJP, the Uttarakhand High Court on Thursday struck down President’s Rule in the state, imposed on March 27.

Observing that the “proclamation of March 27 stands quashed’, the court also directed reinstated Congress Chief Minister Harish Rawat to prove his majority in the House on April 29.

While the Centre is to move the Supreme Court against the order on Friday, the High Court decision has come as a major setback to both the Centre and the ruling BJP, which had openly been backing the rebel MLAs against the state’s Congress chief minister. The Centre also intends to challenge the disqualification of the nine rebel Congress MLAs in the Supreme Court.

After the court’s order, BJP president Amit Shah and senior ministers went into a huddle and decided that the government would move the Supreme Court on Friday challenging the judgement quashing the proclamation of President’s Rule.
While saffron leaders and spokespersons were struggling to put up a brave front, celebrations broke out at Congress headquarters and outside Mr Rawat’s residence in Dehradun.

Appearing humble, Mr Rawat said that “instead of celebrating, we need to focus on development”. Adopting a conciliatory tone, Mr Rawat also urged the Centre to pursue the path of “cooperative federalism and let the state government work”.

Then came his sting: “Woh mahabali hain, woh log shaktishali hain, woh chaure seene wale hain (They are powerful and have broad chests)... how can I fight them... I request them to let us work,” Mr Rawat said.

Speculation was also rife that Baba Ramdev had been parleying with the dissident Uttarakhand Congress MLAs. Fishing in troubled waters, the BJP top brass reportedly set off a game plan to poach the dissident Congress MLAs.

Sources revealed that a deal was struck and the nine Congress rebels who plunged Uttarakhand into a political crisis were likely to join the BJP and contest next year’s Assembly polls as its candidates.

As per the purported deal, four of the rebel candidates were assured ministerial berths if the BJP won the elections. Former CM Vijay Bahuguna, who was leading the rebellion, had reportedly bargained for a Rajya Sabha ticket with the BJP’s backing.

The BJP, which was struggling to strengthen its organisation in Uttarakhand, was also keen to accept Mr Bahuguna’s demand that his two sons, Saket and Saurabh, be given party tickets to contest the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

The saffron camp then went on to release a sting video showing CM Harish Rawat bargaining with rebel party MLAs and offering them money to win their support during the floor test in the Assembly on March 28. The CM had described the video as “fake”.

As for the BJP master strategists, they argued that if the high court quashed their disqualification, the nine rebels would vote for the BJP in case of a floor test.

The BJP strategists were so confident that they had even begun the exercise of government formation. Mr Vijayvargiya, who is also the party leader in charge of the West Bengal polls, held meetings with probable CM candidates for the party, which included Satpal Maharaj and Bhagat Singh Koshiyari. Mr Vijayvargiya was quoted in a daily as saying that the BJP was not averse to forming an alternate government if the court ordered a trial of strength.