President Pranab Mukherjee yesterday approved the cabinet recommendation to impose central rule in Arunachal Pradesh, official sources said.
“It’s done,” an official of the Rashtrapati Bhawan said, when asked about whether the president has given his nod to central rule in Arunachal Pradesh.
The cabinet had on Sunday recommended imposition of President’s Rule in the northeastern state.
On Monday the Congress urged the president to look into the matter, accusing Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa of violating the Constitution and also challenged the move in the Supreme Court.
Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party also termed the cabinet’s recommendation as “against the Constitution”.
However, the BJP charged the Congress with having failed to protect the Constitution, and said the ruling party in the state has lost the constitutional authority to remain in power.
Also on Monday, Home Minister Rajnath Singh met Mukherjee and discussed the situation.
“We have submitted a memorandum to the president and requested him to look into the matter. We briefed the president about it. Whatever questions he had, we replied to him as well,” Congress leader Kapil Sibal said after a party delegation met the president and submitted a memorandum.
The Congress leader also accused Governor Rajkhowa of violating the Constitution.
“A governor who creates the crisis himself says there should be President’s Rule in the state,” he said.
“On one hand, you are responsible for creating such a situation in the state, and on the other, you request the union government to impose President’s Rule. Both cannot go hand in hand,” Sibal added.
The Congress leader said the recent happenings in Arunachal Pradesh were “politically motivated”, involving the Bharatiya Janata Party, its president Amit Shah and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
“A taped conversation is testimony to the fact. We have submitted the tape to the court. They have hatched a conspiracy to destabilise the border state so that their government can be formed there,” Sibal said.
“They even tried to bypass the court on this issue,” he said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal slammed the central government and said the move was “against the Constitution”.
“The Constitution doesn’t allow you to suspend an elected government and enforce President’s Rule in any state. It is against the Constitution,” the AAP chief said.
Kejriwal earlier termed the cabinet’s recommendation as “murder of Constitution on the eve of Republic Day”.
“The central government is like an elder brother, whereas state governments are younger brothers. He (central government) should not trouble a younger brother (state government),” Kejriwal said.
“We need the central government’s co-operation for proper development and functioning. With its co-operation, the development would be ten-fold,” he said.
Rajkhowa by his December 9, 2015, message had advanced the date of the convening of the assembly session. The move was criticised by the Congress.
On January 18, the Supreme Court said it would examine whether Rajkhowa’s decision of advancing the assembly session to take up the resolution for the removal of Speaker Nabam Rebia was valid.
Rebia was removed as speaker by 14 rebel Congress legislators backed by the BJP lawmakers on December 16 in an assembly session held in a community hall in Itanagar that was presided over by the deputy speaker.
The 14 rebel Congress lawmakers were earlier disqualified by Rebia.
The deputy speaker, before moving the motion removing Rebia as speaker, restored the membership of the 14 legislators.