Rawat hails 'golden opportunity' for floor test

Ousted Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Friday thanked the Supreme Court for allowing him to take the floor test in the state assembly.

Talking to media soon after the apex court asked him to take a floor test on May 10, Rawat said he was happy that this "golden opportunity" has come his way.

"I am very optimistic that the legislators in the Uttarakhand state assembly would vote for democracy on May 10," he said, claiming that he enjoys support of 34 legislators.

He also trashed allegations of having bribed legislators to vote for him in lieu of ministerial berths, describing it a "propaganda unleashed by the BJP".

"I am open to scrutiny by the CBI or any other agency," he said, adding the BJP by conspiring to topple his duly elected government had "murdered democracy".

"The BJP has inflicted a wound on Uttarakhand and now it is a fight for saving democratic values in the country," he added.

The Supreme Court on Friday cleared the decks for ousted Rawat to prove his legislative majority in the state assembly on Tuesday, but nine disqualified rebel Congress legislators would not be allowed to vote.

The top court said it would monitor the voting that is to take place at 11 a.m. The entire proceedings of the house will be videographed, the court said.

--IANS

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