Centre has no locus on Uttarakhand now, says Yechury

CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Tuesday hit out at the Narendra Modi government after the Uttarakhand trust vote indicated victory for the Congress, and said the "Centre has no locus in the matter of Uttarakhand now".

In a series of tweets, Yechury, in a jibe at the sudden imposition of President's Rule in the state, also said: "Perhaps this is their idea of 'cooperative federalism' of disempowering a state."

Though the result of the trust vote will be officially known on Wednesday, ousted Chief Minister Harish Rawat and his supporters claimed victory and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) admitted defeat after 33 legislators reportedly voted for Rawat while the opposition could muster only 28 votes in the house during the floor test.

In a tweet slamming the Modi government, Yechury said the Centre must get parliament's approval first for President's Rule in Uttarakhand before getting the state's budget approved by the house. The Lok Sabha, where the BJP is in majority, on Monday approved the Uttarakhand appropriation bill, amid protests by the Congress.

"Parliament has the right to approve budget of a state under central rule. That rule itself is under question and a trust vote has taken place," Yechury tweeted.

"Government must get the central rule of Uttarakhand approved first. Only then can it proceed on the state's budget. How can it do so beforehand," he asked.

--IANS

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