Centre Recommends Prez Rule in Arunachal, Cong Vows to Fight Back

Centre recommends President’s rule in Arunachal Pradesh. The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by PM Modi.Congress party moves Supreme Court challenging the recommendation.Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal and Arunachal CM Nabam Tuki meet the President, submit a memorandum.The political crisis began on 16 December 2015 after 21 rebel Congress MLAs joined hands with 11 BJP MLAs and two independents to ‘impeach’ Assembly Speaker Nabam Rebia.Opposition BJP and rebel Congress MLAs got together in a local hotel to “vote out” the Nabam Tuki-led Congress government and “elect” a rebel Congress MLA as the new “chief minister”.The impeachment was branded as “illegal and unconstitutional” by Speaker Nabam Rebia. Even as the central government has recommended President’s rule in Arunachal Pradesh, the Congress party has moved the Supreme Court in opposition. Senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge, Kapil Sibal and others met President Pranab Mukherjee to discuss the crisis. After the meeting, Azad and Sibal addressed the media. Blaming the BJP for the crisis, Azad said that the Congress party will fight this government in Parliament, the courts and in public. He also said that a memorandum was submitted to the President over the issue. Kapil Sibal, who was also part of the delegation, said, “The President listened to us patiently. We told him about the violation by the Governor and presented a memorandum.We told him (President Pranab Mukherjee) that this is the result of a conspiracy by the BJP, especially by party President Amit Shah and the RSS.Kapil Sibal, Senior Congress LeaderCongress Takes the Fight to SCThe Congress party challenged the Union Cabinet’s recommendation for imposition of President’s rule in the state, which has been witnessing a political crisis.“We have filed the petition before the apex court registry,” Congress leader and senior advocate Vivek Tankha told PTI. He said the petition has been filed by the state Congress Chief whip Bamang Felix and an urgent hearing has been sought. “We are waiting to hear from the Deputy Registrar who will place the petition before the Chief Justice of India,” another lawyer said. In the petition, there has been a challenge to the report and the recommendation of the Union Cabinet for promulgation of President’s rule in the state.Congress’ Strategy Moving ForwardAccording to television reports, moving forward, the Congress party now has two strategies. The party is now expected to argue that the dissolution of the state assembly itself is against the Constitution.Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal who is representing the party is expected to present the argument that the BJP, desperate to form their government in the state, is interfering with the existing system in Arunachal Pradesh.Centre Recommends President’s RuleThe Centre, on the other hand, had taken the decision to approach President Pranab Mukherjee after a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The recommendation was met with severe criticism by the Congress. Party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala has said that the party would decisively fight “undermining of elected mandate by autocratic attempts of the government”. Current Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has said that the matter is sub-judice and that the government of India should have waited for the court’s order.Responding to these accusations, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said, Congress should refrain from making political statements, as the case is pending before a constitutional bench of the Supreme Court.Also read: Politicos Clash Over Recommendation of President’s Rule in ArunachalThe political upheaval started when Nabam Rebia, the Speaker of the Arunachal Assembly was impeached in November 2015.Also Read on The QuintConstitutional and Political Crisis Deepens in ArunachalArunachal Gets New CM After Tuki Govt Loses Confidence VoteGuwahati HC Puts All Decisions by Arunachal Assembly on Hold

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Centre Recommends Prez Rule in Arunachal, Cong Vows to Fight Back

Senior Congress leaders meet President Pranab Mukherjee, vow to fight the BJP in Parliament, courts and in public.

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Topics: Rajnath Singh Pranab Mukherjee Home Minister