Move illegal and unconstitutiol, Tuki on Pul

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITAGAR, March 4: Former Chief Minister bam Tuki on Thursday termed the switch over of 30 Congress MLAs led by incumbent Chief Minister Kalikho Pul to PPA as ‘illegal’ and ‘unconstitutiol’.

“How they can do this when a five-bench constitutiol bench of the Supreme Court is hearing the case and the judgement is being reserved? They don’t have the required quorum for the defection as the Speaker had already disqualified 14 members and the case has been referred by the apex court to Gauhati High Court directing to disposed it within two weeks which will end on March 6 next,” Tuki told this daily over phone from New Delhi.

 “Moreover, the Aruchal Pradesh Congress Committee yesterday expelled two members – Likha Saaya and Gojen Gadi... Where is the quorum” All these activities are against the 10th schedule of the Constitution,” Tuki added.

He said, unless the Supreme Court and the High Court decide the merit of the case from day 1, such a move is not possible.  “This is a subject for judicial review,” he said adding, “Whatever verdict the court pronounces, we will abide by it.” He said, the defected MLAs should respect the party and should respect the people of the state who voted them to power. They cannot cheat them, he added.

Tuki said that the party leadership had invited them for talk to resolve the issue but they turned down and now saying all the doors were closed.

 “They have failed to abide by the Constitution and the judiciary,” Tuki added and appealed the people to stand together to fight such forces detrimental for the development of the state.

Meanwhile, Congress MLA Bamang Felix, a close aide of Tuki, criticised the merger of the party’s MLAs with PPA and termed it unconstitutiol and illegal.

 “We are expecting complete justice from the Supreme Court,” Felix added.