Arunachal Pradesh governor to challenge Gauhati HC stay on proceedings
In what has given a new twist to the political crisis in the frontier state, Arunachal Pradesh governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa has decided to challenge the order of the Gauhati high court putting proceedings of the state Assembly under abeyance. In a statement, Mr Rajkhowa said that he has the highest regard for the independence of the judiciary but was surprised by the high court staying proceedings of the state Assembly which had already passed a no-confidence motion against the council of ministers led by chief minister Nabam Tuki.
The proceedings of the Assembly took place much before the single-judge bench passed the order against his December 9 order, the governor pointed out.
Through that order, the governor had under Article 174(1) of the Constitution advanced the session of the 60-member Assembly from January 14-16 2016 to December 16-18.
Mr Rajkhowa also expressed surprise that the court, “without going through records and materials available in the governor’s secretariat”, cast aspersions on him for allegedly having taken the side of a party.
The governor, the communiqué stated, said he was “pained to observe that no notice or opportunity was given” to him or his secretariat of the writ petition filed in the court on behalf of the “removed” speaker Nabam Rebia.
“That way, the governor feels that an opportunity was not given to him to defend his order,” it said.
The governor has decided to appeal against the court order “for which legal options are under examination”.
The Tuki camp has 26 Congress MLAs while 21 rebels are with former finance minister Kalikho Pul. These 21, backed by 11 BJP and two independent legislators, had elected Mr Pul their “chief minister” on Thursday after “impeaching” Mr Rebia in makeshift assembly halls.
Meanwhile some of the local tribal bodies have defined Mr Rajkhowas as anti-Nyishi and attributed ongoing unrest in the state to his hatred for ethnic community.
The Nyishi Elite Society (NES), which was instrumental in formation of the Tuki government by removing then chief minister Jarbom Gamlin on the alleged pretext of being anti-Nyishi, accused the governor Mr Rajkhowa of pursing anti-Nyishi agenda.
The president of Nyishi Elite Society Bengia Tolum also accused the leader of dissident camp Mr Kalikho Pul of spitting venom against Nyishi community. However, all of them denied it.
