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Cong stalls Parliament on Uttarakhand issue, rebels testify in court

Akash Bisht | Updated on: 10 February 2017, 1:49 IST
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The disruptions

  • The Congress disrupted Parliament on the first day of the second part of the Budget Session
  • Its leaders confronted the Central government on the political crisis in Uttarakhand

The defence

  • Meanwhile, the nine rebel Congress MLAs told the Uttarakhand HC that they hadn\'t joined BJP
  • They said they wanted CM Harish Rawat\'s ouster, not to quit the party
  • They blamed Assembly Speaker GS Kunjwal of bias towards Rawat

One didn't need an astrologer to predict this. As expected, the second part of the Budget Session of Parliament began with several disruptions and adjournments in both houses.

Congress leaders created a ruckus over the Centre's decision to impose President's Rule in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh. In fact, the Congress had been hinting about this ever since the political crisis in Uttarakhand began a month ago.

Kharge's accusations

In the Lok Sabha, the day started with several Congress leaders, led by Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, storming into the well, demanding an adjournment on the Centre's decision to destabilise democratically-elected non-BJP governments. Congress president Sonia Gandhi, too, was seen raising slogans against the government.

The party had earlier sent a notice to Speaker Sumitra Mahajan for an adjournment motion, which was rejected, prompting Kharge to call it a 'murder of democracy'. Parliamentarians from AAP and JD(U) joined the chorus, with AAP leader Bhagwant Mann pleading to the Speaker to let Kharge speak.

Congress wanted an adjournment motion, but Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan rejected the request

Kharge then accused the government of indulging in horse trading, and installing BJP governments in states by 'killing the Constitution'. The Speaker then reminded Kharge of the matter being sub-judice, saying he should refrain from making any comments.

The Congress veteran responded that by this logic, the government shouldn't have discussed the Ishrat Jahan case, which is also in court. He also clarified that the Congress wants to discuss tge Centre's role in toppling state governments, and not the Uttarakhand High Court order, which the Supreme Court has stayed.

Washing his hands of the controversy, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh defended the government, saying these allegations were baseless, and 'an internal crisis' of the Congress.

Bickering in the RS

Similar scenes were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha, where Congress leaders bickered with BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on whether a discussion on the Uttarakhand crisis should be taken up.

Jaitley, the Leader of the House, said: "When the proclamation comes up for a debate in Parliament, we will discuss it then. We can't discuss it in pre-proclamation stage."

Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, responded that the government is deliberately provoking the Opposition by toppling state governments.

The house was then adjourned, which could be the trend for the remaining part of the session.

Govt's quandary

The Congress's strategy to not allow the house to function will prove to be major setback for the government, which wants to push a number of Bills, including the crucial Goods and Services Tax Bill and the Constitution Amendment Bill, which need the approval of the Upper House.

The Congress is also keen the raise the issue of drought in 13 states, the government's policy vis-a-vis Pakistan, Vijay Mallya and the Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation scam, which could further put the BJP in a tight spot.

It is unlikely that government would be able to achieve a breakthrough.

Dissidents in court

While there were heated arguments in Parliament, the nine rebel Congress MLAs told the Uttarakhand High Court that they are 'good Congressmen' who have not defected from the party. Instead, they wanted Harish Rawat's removal, as he "did not show the party in good light".

Hinting at a possible reconciliation, their counsel Aryama Sundaram told the court that the dissidents want Rawat's ouster, which would allow the Congress to form the government under a different CM.

The rebel MLAs have challenged the Speaker's decision to disqualify them, and informed Justice UC Dhyani that they haven't joined the BJP. Sundaram told the court that Rawat and Speaker GS Kunjwal are assuming that the party and government are the same, which he claimed would be a "death knell for democracy".

Sundaram added that these MLAs cannot be disqualified only for dissenting against the CM, and the "only overt act" they committed was asking for the CM to be dismissed and government, which does not amount to giving up membership of the party. 

The rebels' counsel told the Uttarakhand HC that their move was against CM Rawat, not the party

Criticising the Speaker for his partisan stand, Sundaram argued that he is passionately defending Rawat.

"Yes, it an overt act that we demanded dismissal of the government. I am permitted to do this. However, we are saying that 'I want to clean up the party'. The party's well-being is the top priority. That means I'm with the party...this is healthy democracy... I'm not protesting against policies of Congress party... even absolute dissent (against the government) cannot be a grounds for disqualification," the counsel reportedly told the court.

The court would continue to hear the matter on Tuesday, and a verdict could be announced soon. Meanwhile, if the rebels do not get a favourable verdict, they are likely to approach the Supreme Court. 

First published: 25 April 2016, 11:28 IST