Congress urges Governor ESL Narasimhan for President rule in Telangana

Hyderabad: A TPCC delegation headed by Opposition leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka demanded that Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan recommend to the Centre and the President to impose President’s rule on the state by invoking Article 356 of the Constitution.

In a memorandum submitted to the Governor, the TPCC alleged that even after the model code of conduct came into force for the Lok Sabha elections, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was encouraging defections and his camp office had become the venue for the “unconstitutional and immoral and illegal defections”.

“Such an immoral person cannot be continued as Chief Minister,” the memorandum said and demanded that the nine Congress who have defected by disqualified.

The delegation comprising former Union ministers Veerappa Moily and S. Jaipal Reddy, former state ministers K. Jana Reddy, J. Geetha Reddy, Shabbir Ali and others called on the Governor at Raj Bhavan on Saturday to submit the memorandum.

The TPCC leaders told the Governor that the defected MLAs were invited by Mr Rao to join the ruling party. The defectors accordingly gave statements that they were prepared to strengthen the TRS which amounted to voluntarily giving up to the membership of the political party from which they had got elected.

The delegation said the action of Mr Rao not only violates Schedule III of the Constitution but also encouraged defection in derogation of Schedule X. They said that in substance if Mr Rao encourages defection in the official residence of Chief Minister, the Assembly Speaker who is a political member of the TRS can never decide any disqualification petition filed before him.

Therefore the Speaker is deemed to be a member of the TRS who has to decide on the disqualifications. Thereby both the CM as well as the Speaker were violating the Constitution.

TPCC leaders said that Article 154 of the Constitution mandated that executive power of the state shall be vested in the Governor and shall be exercised by him either directly or through officers subordinates to him but in accordance with the Constitution,

They said, “A constitutional authority like Governor who not only owes a duty but also responsibility to the Constitution has to refer this application forthwith without adopting any dilatory tactics to favour the ruling party to the President of India and union ministry to impose President;s rule by invoking Article 356 of the Constitution.”