Uttarakhand crisis: Harish Rawat seeks disqualification of nine rebel Congress MLAs

The Congress has sought the disqualification of sacked minister Harak Singh Rawat and eight other MLAs.

Dehradun/New Delhi: Beleaguered Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat today met the Assembly Speaker and backed the demand for disqualification of nine rebel Congress MLAs ahead of the difficult trial of strength on Monday as rivals traded charges on alleged bribes to win legislators.

After meeting Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, Rawat, who was issued a notice regarding the demand for disqualification, said he provided documents supporting the petition of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh seeking disqualification of the rebel MLAs.

The Congress party has sought the disqualification of sacked minister Harak Singh Rawat and former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna and seven other MLAs on the ground they have voluntarily given up membership of the Congress by joining the BJP MLAs by shouting anti-government slogans in the Assembly and thus attract the provisions of the anti-defection law.

The Congress, which has a strength of 36 MLAs in the 70-member Assembly, faces revolt by nine MLAs, led by former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, who are said to have voted against the government in the financial business last week.

Meanwhile, the rebel Congress MLAs today alleged that they were offered bribe by the Chief Minister Harish Rawat for support during the floor test in the Assembly and released a video of a "sting" operation purportedly showing the CM, who called it "fake".

Congress alleged that the "dirty tricks department" of BJP president Amit Shah is at work, while the saffron outfit demanded "immediate dismissal" of the Rawat government.

Releasing the alleged 'sting video' in Delhi, Bahuguna said, "The very content of that CD proves that you (Rawat) are using undue influence and bribe to attract the nine MLAs... He should resign on moral grounds."

"The sting CD being shown on news channels is fake. The reputation of the man behind it who is associated with a private news channel is not hidden from anyone. His antecedents must be probed," Rawat said at a hurriedly-called press conference at his residence in Dehradun.

Even though he called the CD "false", Rawat said if at all it indicates something, it is that the rebel MLAs have aligned with BJP for money.

In a statement, AICC's chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala

said, "Congress will not be cowed down by such tactics, conspiracies and threats. Even today, the Uttarakhand government enjoys majority. We will abide by constitutional directions and will prove our majority on the floor of the House."

Reacting to the 'sting video', BJP General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said Rawat has "no right to remain in power" even for a moment and said a party delegation will meet President Pranab Mukherjee to demand his intervention.

"We had told the Governor that the state government will indulge in horse trading. We could not understand as to why he gave so many days to it to prove its majority in the Assembly. Our fears have come true. It has been clearly exposed today that he Harish Rawat is busy buying over his own MLAs," he said.

Bahuguna said the chief minister should order an inquiry into the sting operation, carried out by a private news channel.

The Rawat government does not have majority in assembly, he said, demanding that President's rule be imposed in the state.

At the AICC briefing, Uttarakhand Congress president Kishore Upadhyay launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, accusing them of hatching a conspiracy to destabilise the Uttarakhand government which, he claimed, "enjoys majority".

"It is all the job of the externed Amit Shah and his dirty tricks department," he said, alleging that after destabilising Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand has come on the radar of the ruling party at the Centre.

He claimed that the Congress rebels and BJP were behind the "conspiracy of the fake CD" after they failed to get any relief from either the court or the Governor ahead of the crucial trust vote on Monday.

Upadhyay claimed he was in touch with six of the nine rebel MLAs but refused to divulge the names.

Asked whether the Congress is ready to "forgive and forget" if the rebels express willingness to return, he said, "In a family, if someone parts ways by resorting to some wrong steps, he could be taken back on merit."

Targeting Bahuguna and former CLP leader Harak Singh Rawat, Upadhyay said that they have "back-stabbed the party which had given them everything".

He said the two leaders instead of defending the Congress and its government with all their might, are seeking to create trouble.

Chief Minister Rawat blamed Modi, Shah and the rebel MLAs for the political crisis in Uttarakhand and said it was an unholy alliance to destabilise a democratically-elected government and derail the process of development in the state.