Uttarakhand: Congress Expels Vijay Bahuguna’s Son For ’Masterminding’ Rebellion

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Mar 21, 2016:  The battle for Uttarakhand shifts to Delhi today with the BJP’s 28 lawmakers from the state and nine Congress rebels set to meet President Pranab Mukherjee. The BJP has staked claim to form government alleging that the ruling Congress has lost political control.

 

   

The Congress legislators who have rebelled against the leadership of Chief Minister Harish Rawat are at an undisclosed location. The Uttarakhand Speaker has, at the behest of the Congress, issued notices against them for defection and they have to reply by Saturday why they should not be disqualified from the state Assembly.
   
The notices were pasted outside the homes of the rebel Congress MLAs, including former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna and senior leader Harak Singh Rawat.
   
The Congress has expelled Mr Bahuguna’s son Saket for six years, accusing him of "masterminding" the rebellion within the party.
   
Chief Minister Harish Rawat - who has been asked by Uttarakhand Governor KK Paul to prove his majority on the floor of the assembly before Monday, March 28 - is now engaged in hectic efforts to gather and secure his flock of lawmakers.
   
The Congress has 36 lawmakers in the 70-member Assembly, only one more than the halfway mark needed for a majority. It also has the support of six members of the Progressive Democratic Front. The BJP has 28 lawmakers.
   
The loss of nine lawmakers will reduce the Congress government to a minority. But if less than two-thirds or in this case 24 Congress lawmakers split from the party, they can be disqualified under anti-defection laws.
   
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has accused the BJP of destabilising the Rawat government. "Toppling elected Govts by indulging in horse trading & blatant misuse of money & muscle, seems to be BJP’s new model, after failure in Bihar," Mr Gandhi tweeted.
   
"In Uttarakhand, the Speaker considered a failed bill as passed. Speaker passed a failed bill. unusual in a democracy that is founded on the notion of majority numbers...There is deep divide within the Congress and should not be attributed to us," said union  minister Arun Jaitley.
   
The crisis hit the Harish Rawat government last week after two Congress lawmakers sided with the BJP in the assembly to demand a division of votes on the finance bill. The Speaker did not allow a division or physical counting of votes and declared the bill passed by voice vote.
   
If a finance bill fails, the government falls. The BJP met the state Governor last week and staked claim to form government in Uttarakhand; the nine Congress rebel lawmakers joined them there.