Ukhan crisis: Centre mulls Prez Rule

The political crisis in Uttarakhand took a new turn late tonight with the Centre mulling imposition of President's Rule ahead of Monday's trust vote for Congress Chief Minister Harish Rawat amid reports that the state assembly Speaker has disqualified nine rebel Congress MLAs which will dramatically alter the arithmatic of the assembly.
The reported decision of Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal to disqualify the nine legislators from Congress who have revolted against Rawat and joined hands with BJP, would reduce the effective strength of the 70-member assembly to 61.
Rawat would then have 27 Congress MLAs, besides six supporters giving him a strength of 33 which should see him sail through the test vote.

However, an unknown factor in the situation is what the Modi government at the Centre does before the confidence vote.
It has secured the report from state Governor K K Paul on the latest situation in the state triggered by the revolt of the MLAs on March 18.
Cutting short a visit to Assam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called an emergency meeting of the Union Cabinet in the Capital which lasted over an hour late tonight to consider various options before the Centre, including that of President's Rule.

There was no official word about what transpired at the Cabinet meeting, but sources said it would again meet tomorrow to take a final call.

As the Union Cabinet went into a huddle to consider the
situation in Uttarakhand, Congress tonight insisted that its government enjoys a majority in the state assembly and denounced attempts to pull down a "duly elected government" on the basis of a "farcical sting operation".
At a hurriedly convened press conference at Congress headquarters, party general secretary Ambika Soni came down hard on the Modi government and the BJP, accusing them of destabilising the Rawat dispensation in the state.
She said the BJP was desperate to dislodge the Congress government in Uttarakhand through imposition of President's Rule despite there being no Constitutional crisis.

A BJP delegation met President Pranab Mukherjee and demanded President's Rule in the state, saying Rawat has no right to continue after a sting operation purportedly showed him bargaining with rebel party MLAs to win their support ahead of floor test.
BJP's memorandum to the President was also critical of the state Governor, saying he "did not act on the request of the majority of the legislature to dismiss the state government and on the contrary granted 10 days time" to Rawat to prove his majority.
The rebel Congress MLAs today alleged that they were offered bribe by the Chief Minister for support during the floor test and released a video of a "sting" operation purportedly showing the CM, who called it "fake".

The deadline given to the nine rebel MLAs for replying to the notices served to them by Kunjwal under the anti-defection law came to an end this evening.
Congress alleged that the "dirty tricks department" of BJP president Amit Shah is at work, while the saffron outfit demanded "immediate dismissal" of the Rawat government.
The Speaker had issued notices to the nine rebel Congress MLAs on March 19, a day after they created a furore in the state assembly along with opposition BJP members shouting anti-government slogans after their demand for a division of votes on the appropriation bill on the state's annual budget was turned down by the Speaker.

"In my capacity as the Leader of the House I have given my support to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh's earlier letter to the Speaker demanding action against the nine rebel MLAs on the ground that their conduct in the Assembly showed that they had voluntarily broken ranks with the party, " Rawat told reporters after his meeting with the Speaker earlier in the day.