Congress slams Govt. as AG asked to seek instructions on floor test in Uttarakhand

Don't want to miss the best from Business Standard?

With the Supreme Court asking Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to seek instructions from the government on going ahead with a floor test in the Uttarakhand state assembly, former union minister and Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury on Tuesday said the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre should ponder as to how they committed such a mistake in the hill state.

"Of course, they should think over it as to how such a decision was made and how they committed such a mistake," she told ANI outside Parliament.

Meanwhile, senior advocate K T S Tulsi said the ruling dispensation acted in haste as they knew that they would be defeated in the floor test.

"The government knew that they would be defeated in the floor test. So, they (the Congress government in Uttarakhand) were removed a day before," he said.

The Supreme Court has deferred till tomorrow the hearing on the Centre's appeal against the Uttarakhand High Court's verdict quashing imposition of President's rule in the state.

The apex court asked the Attorney General that there should be a floor test in the Uttarakhand Assembly under its supervision in view of the "Rameshwar judgement" and also asked the Centre to think about it.

An apex court bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra had on April 27 directed the continuation of President's Rule in Uttarakhand.

Posting the matter for further hearing on Tuesday, it had extended the stay on the High Court's order quashing the central rule in Uttarakhand.

The two-judge division bench, comprising of Justices Dipak Mishra and Shiva Kirti Singh, had also asked several questions to the Centre asking it to justify imposition of President's Rule.

The apex court sought to know if the Governor could have sent a message in the present manner under Article175 (2) to conduct a floor test and if delay in the floor test can be a ground for the proclamation of President's Rule in the state.

The apex court asked if disqualification of MLAs by the Uttarakhand speaker is a relevant issue for the purpose of imposing President's Rule under Article 356 and proceedings in the Uttarakhand assembly can be taken note of by the President for imposing his rule.

The Centre had imposed President's Rule in the state on March 27.