Uttarakhand political crisis: Harish Rawat floor test by March 28

New Delhi: The Harish Rawat-led Uttarakhand government has been asked to prove its majority by March 28, after nine rebel MLAs of the Congress sided with the Opposition BJP to destabilise the government. Alleging that the BJP indulged in “horse-trading”, the Congress accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah of being “infamous for forcible eviction of elected governments in the country”.

The chief minister maintained that he was ready to prove his majority in the Assembly after the BJP asserted that it had the support of rebel Congress MLAs and should be invited to form government as the incumbent Congress dispensation had been reduced to a minority. Late on Friday night, nine Congress MLAs, including former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, along with senior BJP leaders, including national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, reached the national capital from Dehradun on a chartered plane. These MLAs are staying in a hotel in NCR and speculation is rife that a Union minister met them on behalf of the BJP leadership, which is busy in its national executive meeting. These rebel leaders are expected to meet Mr Shah.

Mr Bahuguna, considered Mr Rawat’s bête noire, is seen as leading the rebel camp. Mr Rawat had succeeded Mr Bahuguna.

Questions are being raised within the BJP’s own state unit on this move when the Assembly elections in the state are scheduled early next year. Some BJP leaders termed it a desperate attempt by the party leadership to form government in a state where it faces a leadership crisis and is battling factionalism.

In a letter to the chief minister, governor K.K. Paul has asked him to prove his majority in the state Assembly by March 28. It was dispatched to the CM shortly before his appointment with the governor Saturday evening. The governor’s directive is being seen as a breather for Mr Rawat.

While the BJP claims that the Congress government is in a minority, the chief minister maintains that he still enjoys a majority in the House as none of the “so-called rebel MLAs” have quit the party or the Congress Legislature Party. He also said that five of the rebels were in touch with him. The Congress has 36 MLAs, including the rebels, in the 70-member Assembly. The ruling party also has the support of six members of the Progressive Democratic Front. The BJP has 28 MLAs.

Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal also said that the “anti-defection law is in place and whoever is found guilty of violating it will have to be acted against”.

“All Congress MLAs voted with the government when the previous bill was passed in the Assembly and nobody had challenged the bill. Even the BJP accepts the voice vote,” he said.

Asked about the BJP’s no-confidence notice against him, Mr Kunjwal said, “We will see when it comes in the Assembly. Members of the Legislative Assembly will discuss and decide if the no-confidence notice is valid or not.”

BJP state in-charge Shyam Jaju said the Rawat government has lost majority and his party has the numbers with the support of rebel Congress MLAs to form a new government. He said the party is willing to parade the MLAs whose support it enjoys before President Pranab Mukherjee and insisted that Mr Rawat should immediately resign.

A three-member BJP delegation of former chief minister and MP Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, Mr Jaju and Mr Vijayvargiya had met the governor Friday night. Nine Congress rebels had joined the BJP in demanding a division of votes on the state’s annual budget in the Assembly, which could have led to the government’s fall.

Rebel Congress MLAs seen raising anti-government slogans along with the BJP were mostly those owing allegiance to Mr Bahuguna. The other eight were Harak Singh Rawat, Amrita Rawat, Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion, Shaila Rani Rawat, Pradip Batra, Subodh Uniyal, a confirmed Bahuguna loyalist, Shailendra Mohan Singhal and Umesh Sharma.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the BJP was resorting to such actions against the backdrop of the poll debacle in Delhi followed by Bihar which has “convinced” the ruling party at the Centre that it would not come to power in any state through popular vote.

In Dehradun, the chief minister said he was shocked by Mr Bahuguna’s conduct in the House on Friday as he came from a family which always fought against communal forces.

“Coming as it did from the son of Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna who always fought for secular values and stood against communal forces, Bahugunaji’s behaviour was no less shocking,” the chief minister said. Congress leaders have demanded that Mr Bahuguna and Mr Harak Singh Rawat be expelled from the party.

When asked for his comments, Union minister and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said: “If the Congress cannot take care of its government, it is not our fault.”