Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat Meets Governor KK Paul at Raj Bhawan
Chief Minister Harish Rawat claimed on Saturday that he still enjoys a majority in the Uttarakhand Assembly.
- Chief Minister Harish Rawat meets Governor K K Paul at Raj Bhawan.
- Vijay Bahadur Singh Negi will be appointed as the new AG.
- State Attorney General, Umakant Uniyal was removed from his position.
- Rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat was expelled from the party.
- Uttarakhand Governor Dr Krishnakant Pal asked CM Harish Rawat to prove his majority in the House by 28 March.
- Uttarakhan Chief Minister, Harish Rawat will be meeting top leaders of Congress in Delhi on Saturday.
- Cabinet recommends removal of rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat and attorney general of the state, Umakant Uniyal.
- Congress chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala accused PM Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah of seeking to destabilise non-BJP governments.
CM Rawat Meets Governor
Chief Minister Harish Rawat arrived at Raj Bhawan to meet Governor Krishnakant Paul on Saturday evening to convey the current political situation of the state.
Uttarakhand Cabinet Expells Rebel Congress MLA, Removes State AG
According to India Today, the Uttarakhand Cabinet expelled rebel Congress MLA, Harak Singh Rawat from the party for his alleged involvement in anti-party activities. Umakant Uniyal, who is the state Attorney General was also removed from his position.
In his stead, Vijay Bahadur Singh Negi will be appointed as the new AG of the state.
The decision was taken in the cabinet meeting that too place on Saturday.
Governor asks CM Rawat to Prove His Majority in the House
Uttarakhand Governor Dr Krishnakant Pal wrote to Chief Minister Harish Rawat asking him to prove his majority in the House by 28 March.
Chief Minister Harish Rawat claimed on Saturday that he still enjoys a majority in the Uttarakhand Assembly and was ready to prove it on the floor of the House.
CM to Meet Party Top Brass
Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Harish Rawat will be meeting top leaders of Congress in Delhi on Saturday to discuss about the political crisis that the state has fallen into.
Cabinet Seeks Removal of Rebel Congress MLA
The Uttarakhand Cabinet sent a proposal to the Governor, K K Paul to remove the state attorney general, Umakant Uniyal and rebel Congress member, Harak Singh Rawat.
Congress Blames Modi and Amit Shah of Wanting to Destabilise Non-BJP Governments
With Congress government in Uttarakhand plunging into crisis, the party, on Saturday, 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.
Congress chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said the party is “not scared” of the conspiracy and will deliberate on all legal, political and constitutional steps to shake off the challenge to the government.
He said if need be, the Harish Rawat government is ready to prove its majority in the Assembly.
CM Harish Rawat Claimed That He Still Enjoys a Majority
Accusing BJP of misrepresenting facts, Chief Minister Harish Rawat claimed on Saturday that he still enjoys a majority in the Uttarakhand Assembly and was ready to prove it on the floor of the House.
On BJP’s claims that it had the support of 35 MLAs including nine rebel Congress MLAs, Rawat said that at least five of those MLAs were still in touch with him.
Commenting on what transpired at his meeting with the Speaker, the Chief Minister said he had gone to him to tender an apology as the Leader of the House for the “unparliamentary conduct of some party MLAs”.
Rawat to Meet Rebel Congress MLAs
The four-year-old Congress government in Uttarakhand faces a crisis with nine party MLAs rebelling, who in turn backed BJP which has staked claim to form a government in the state. Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Harish Singh Rawat has on Saturday morning met the rebel Congress MLAs.
The Congress has a strength of 36 MLAs in the 70-member Uttarakhand Assembly. The ruling party also has the support of 6 members of the Progressive Democratic Front, while the BJP has 28 MLAs.
A three-member BJP delegation comprising former chief minister and MP Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, BJP in-charge of Uttarakhand Shyam Jaju and general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya met Governor KK Paul and said the Harish Rawat government was in a minority and sought its dismissal.
State Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, however, rejected the demand for the division of votes triggering chaos in the Assembly with both the opposition BJP and rebel Congress MLAs sitting on a dharna in the well of the House to insist on this procedure terming it their democratic right.
Rejecting the demand by the opposition, Speaker Kunjwal announced the passage of the budget by voice vote and adjournment of the House till 28 March.
Rebel Congress MLAs seen raising anti-government slogans along with BJP in the House were mostly those owing allegiance to former Chief Minister and MLA Vijay Bahuguna.
The other eight rebel MLAs were Harak Singh Rawat, Amrita Rawat, Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion, Shaila Rani Rawat, Pradip Batra, Subodh Uniyal, a confirmed Bahuguna loyalist, Shailendra Mohan Singhal and Umesh Sharma.
(With input from PTI.)
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