President Rule: Mixed reactions in Aruchal

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITAGAR, Jan 25: The Centre’s decision to impose President Rule in Aruchal Pradesh has evoked mixed reaction in the State, as the Congress filed a petition before the Supreme Court against the union Cabinet’s decision on Monday.

The Congress had earlier said that the party would challenge in apex court the Cabinet decision if it gets presidential assent.

Chief Minister bam Tuki who air dashed to the tiol capital Monday morning to meet party President Sonia Gandhi to discuss the current situation in the state, has accused the NDA government of political vendetta behind the political crisis.

Tuki said that BJP along with Governor JP Rajkhowa are engineering a plot to topple his government in the state.

The Aruchal Pradesh Congress Seva Dal (APCSD) has condemned the recommendation for central rule in the state and accused the BJP of hatching a conspiracy to destabilize the democratically elected government in the state.

State unit BJP president Tai Tagak said that centre’s move has come as a big relief to the people of the state who have been forced to suffer “unending political upheavals” in the last few months.

He said that Centre was forced to take the decision because of the political turmoil.

Reacting to the decision, Prof ni Bath of Rajiv Gandhi University said that “No government in the state is safe without New Delhi’s blessings”.

He further opined that undemocratic activities of Congress leaders and workers might have hastened the Centre’s intervention. He fears that the ‘business’ of defection and dissident activities would be at increasing trend as the so-called political fight is not because of any ideological commitment but for ‘power and projects’.

A union of five organizations has welcomed the decision of the union cabinet.

 “Chief Minister bam Tuki and Assembly Speaker bum Rebia have commulized the state politics due to which there is unrest in the minds of the people of the state,” they said in their joint press statement.

Hoping that the decision is just a temporary step, they requested the Governor to set up new government as soon as possible.

Aruchal Pradesh was rocked by a political crisis on December 16 last year as 21 rebel Congress MLAs joined hands with 11 of BJP and two independents to ‘impeach’ Assembly Speaker bam Rebia at a makeshift venue, in a move branded as “illegal and unconstitutiol” by the Speaker.

The state had earlier witnessed imposition of central rule in 1979 when the then Lt Governor R N Haldipur, recommended President Rule following loss of majority by Tomo Riba government because of defection, which lasted for 76 days.