Just a few hours before the Supreme Court hears Congress party’s writ petition against imposition of the President’s Rule in the Congress-ruled Arunachal Pradesh, the state chief minister Nabam Tuki said on Wednesday that the BJP wants to rule the state by proxy.
A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court is expected to hear the Congress petition at 2 pm on Wednesday.
The writ petition by the Congress party has challenged the constitutionality of the Union Cabinet’s recommendation — and subsequent imposition of President’s Rule — in the border State of Arunachal Pradesh.
The Supreme Court is already seized of a petition filed by Arunachal Legislative Assembly Speaker Nabam Rebia against his impeachment by a faction of rebel Congress MLAs along with BJP MLAs at an Assembly Session convened by Jyoti Prashad Rajkhowa at a community hall on December 16.
A Congress party delegation on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to the President, Pranab Mukherjee, against the President’s Rule, which was recommended by Arunachal Pradesh Governor Jyoti Prashad Rajkhowa.
Tuki said that there was no constitutional crisis in the Arunachal Pradesh, but still the BJP wanted to impose President’s Rule so that it could take control of the state.
“BJP want to rule #ArunachalPradesh from the Centre, from Delhi. Arunachal is a peaceful state,” tweeted Tuki. “People are upset over President’s rule imposed in #ArunachalPradesh.We will fight in the court. We expect justice.
“We know truth never fails and the right always emerge victorious,” he tweeted.
Talking to ANI, Tuki said, “I am sure we will get justice-Nabam Tuki on plea challenging President’s rule in #ArunachalPradesh.”
“Of course, we can prove our majority in the House. That’s what the Governor should have first asked us to prove our majority. He didn’t ask us. He himself summoned the Assembly and set the agenda, and its first item was that the Assembly Speaker should be sacked. Does an order is given like that?” wondered Tuki. “Members [of the Assembly] had given a notice a week before that.”
Tuki said that the Congress party has 31 MLAs after 14 being disqualified. “And in my group there are 26 [MLAs]. How much is 26 out of 44? So we have the majority. And the member disqualified by the Speaker are no more party MLAs. We can’t count them.” He said.
Several other Congress party leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, have been very active on twitter in condemning the move to impose the President’s Rule in Arunachal Pradesh.