Uttarakhand sting operation: BJP demands dismissal of Congress govt

New Delhi: BJP on Saturday demanded dismissal of the Congress government in Uttarakhand citing a "sting operation" in which Chief Minister Harish Rawat is purportedly shown bargaining with rebel party MLAs to win over their support during the floor test in the Assembly on March 28.

BJP General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said Rawat has no right to remain in power even for a moment and that a party delegation will meet President Pranab Mukherjee to demand his intervention.

"We had told the Governor that the state government will indulge in horse-trading. We could not understand as to why he gave so many days to it to prove its majority in the Assembly.

Our fears have come true. It has been clearly exposed today that Harish Rawat is busy buying over his own MLAs," he told a press conference here.

On the possibility of the Assembly Speaker disqualifying the rebel Congress MLAs, a move which may result in the Rawat government winning the floor test, Vijayvargiya said a majority won "on the basis of horse-trading" will be against democracy.

"If needed, we will meet the Prime Minister," he said. Asked about the possibility of BJP forming the government, he said the current dispensation must be sacked first so that "misuse of power is stopped".

He also refuted the Congress' charge that party chief Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were involved in the political activities in toppling the incumbent government, saying the constitutional crisis was caused by its internal bickering.

"The sting today exposed the allegations levelled by Rahul Gandhi and Harish Rawat about the BJP's involvement in the constitutional crisis. Harish Rawat has been exposed," he said.