Governor asks Chief Minister Harish Rawat to prove majority in Assembly on March 28
Dehradun/New Delhi: Uttarakhand Governor Krishna Kant Paul on Saturday asked Chief Minister Harish Rawat to prove his majority on the floor of the state assembly by March 28 as the political crisis escalated with BJP, claiming the support of rebel Congress MLAs, stepped up efforts to form its government.
Leader of Opposition Ajay Bhatt with rebel Congress MLAs, a BSP legislator and the representatives of BJP after meeting the governor of Uttarakhand KK Paul at his residence in Dehradun on Friday. Pic/PTI
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On a day of claims and counter-claims by BJP and the Congress, assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal said the “anti-defection law is in place and whoever is found guilty of violating it will have to be acted against”. “All Congress MLAs voted with the government when the previous bill was passed in the assembly and nobody had challenged the bill. Even the BJP accepts the voice vote,” he said.
Asked about BJP’s no-confidence notice against him, Kunjwal said, “We will see when it comes in the assembly. Members of the legislative assembly will discuss and decide if the no-confidence notice is valid or not”. Hitting back at the BJP, Congress accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah of seeking to destabilise non-BJP governments through the lure of money and political power. “The duo of Modi and Shah is infamous for forcible eviction of elected governments in this country. Elected government is being destabilised by a sinister conspiracy.”
BJP rubbishes horse-trading allegations
NEW DELHI: The BJP, rubbishing allegations of indulging in horse-trading in Uttarakhand where nine Congress legislators have revolted, demanded that the Harish Rawat government be dismissed as it had lost its majority. The party also challenged the chief minister to prove his majority in the assembly. “Allegations of horse-trading are ridiculous. The legislators of Congress have revolted against the functioning of Rawat and his dictatorial attitude,” BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya told reporters here on Saturday. His assertion came against the backdrop of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleging that the BJP was indulging in horse-trading in Uttarakhand.
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