Congress delegation meets Pranab on Arunachal Pradesh issue

A Congress delegation led by party chief Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday met President Pranab Mukherjee and urged him to "preserve the sanctity of the constitution" and the rule of law by issuing appropriate directions.

"It is clear that top BJP leadership in connivance with some dissident Congress legislators plans to destabilise a democratically elected Congress government in Arunachal Pradesh," Gandhi told reporters here.

"It is obviously a pre-planned design involving the highest functionaries of the central government in this unprincipled enterprise," she added

The Congress delegation submitted a memorandum to the president, accusing state Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa of being "guided by partisan political interests of the Bharatiya Janata Party".

"The governor of Arunachal Pradesh has acted contrary to the spirit and scheme of the constitution. It seems that the governor, at the behest of the central government, along with those Congress MLAs enticed to defect to the BJP, are using unconstitutional means in seeking to oust a democratically elected government," the memorandum said.

"Such conduct of a highest constitutional authority is unprecedented. We believe that the governor, instead of acting in the best interests of the state, is being guided by partisan political interests of the BJP," it added.

The Congress said the governor committed a "serious impropriety" by summoning an assembly session without consulting Chief Minister Nabam Tuki or the council of ministers.

"The Congress wishes to bring these facts to your notice and earnestly requests Rashtrapati-ji to use his good offices to preserve the sanctity of the constitution, the democratic traditions of our polity and the rule of law by issuing appropriate directions," the memorandum added.

"It is a matter of regret that unconstitutional actions are being taken by the Arunachal Pradesh governor on the directions of the central government," Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said.

He said the state assembly was to convene on January 14 but the governor advanced it to December 16 without consulting the chief minister.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and party leader Mallikarjun Kharge were part of the delegation.