Sought President's protection to ensure Constitution's sanctity in Arunachal: Sonia

Centre is trying to destabilise and topple the government in Arunachal, said Ghulam Nabi Azad

Escalating the attack on the Centre over the current political turmoil in Arunachal Pradesh, Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday expressed her 'anguish' and sought President Pranab Mukherjee's protection to ensure the sanctity of the constitution in the state.

Sonia and former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh had led a delegation of Congress MPs to meet the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan, over developments in the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly.

"We went to handover a representation to the President, expressing our anguish and concern at the manner in which in the Congress government in Arunachal Pradesh is sought to be destabilised. We met to seek his protection to ensure the sanctity of the constitution," Sonia told the reporters here.

Backing Sonia, Congress Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad asserted that the Centre was trying to destabilise and topple the government in Arunachal which was highly unconstitutional.

"The state governor is the custodian of the state and he needs to ensure that everything happens according to the constitution. But we are sad to know that on the direction of the Central government the governor is being made to do unconstitutional things," Azad said.

Giving details of the 'unconstitutional' activities being done by the Arunachal Pradesh Governor Jyoti Prashad Rajkhowa, Azad said that it was the first time in the history of the nation since Independence that the Governor, without informing the state, had called a Vidhan Sabha session.

"Neither the Chief Minister or the Cabinet or the speaker were informed of his action. He set the agenda of the Vidhan Sabha him," he added.

Earlier, the members of the Congress had disrupted Rajya Sabha proceedings raising questions over Rajkhowa's role and sought his dismissal alleging that his actions amounted to murder of democracy and Constitution.

Rajkhowa has summoned the Winter Session of the 6th Legislative Assembly from today till December 18, modifying the November 3 order summoning the assembly from January 14 to 18 next year.