With reference to the well-timed editorial, "Blame all round" (March 29), there is no doubt the Centre's move to use Article 356 of the Constitution to impose President's Rule in Uttarakhand is disturbing, more so when it should have waited till March 28, a date by which Chief Minister Harish Rawat was asked by the governor of the state to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly. This ill-timed, pre-emptive action by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) goes against the grain of a well-defined federal structure, as enunciated in the Constitution.
Of course, the political drama began with a revolt of sorts by some members of the Assembly - nine from the Congress and a few others of the BJP - against the Congress-led state government. Video recordings purportedly showing the bribing of rebel legislators by Rawat added fuel to the fire; obviously, he can't take the moral high ground and be seen as a victim of the adverse circumstances allegedly created by the BJP. He should face the music for being found on the wrong side of the law.
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Harish Rawat is said to have told the media that he could not muster the courage to act against a minister in his Cabinet, Harak Singh Rawat - one of the nine Congress rebels - even though he knew the latter was corrupt. Does Harish Rawat still deserve to be the chief minister?
However, I agree with the editorial that that is no excuse for the controversial way in which the Centre dismissed the Harish Rawat government. If the real intention of the BJP was to grab power through dubious means, it does not augur well for the party or Indian democracy. Nevertheless, the Congress can't escape responsibility for exposing Uttarakhand to a volatile political situation.
S K Gupta, New Delhi
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