There were worrying ripples of a fresh controversy in the frontier state of Arunachal Pradesh a day after the Supreme Court reinstated the Congress’ Nabam Tuki as the chief minister while unseating Kalikho Pul.
Mr Tuki, who was on Thursday asked by the governor to take a floor test to prove his majority in the Assembly by July 16, said that he needed more time, but Mr Pul paraded 30 MLAs before the media and asserted that 43 MLAs, including 11 from the BJP, were with him. The Congress, he said, has been reduced to 15 MLAs in the House of 58 representatives. Mr Tuki, who arrived in Itanagar on Thursday evening, told reporters that he would request the governor to defer the proposed floor test as it is “not possible” within a short span of time. He has written a letter to the governor asking for more time to prove his majority on the floor of the House.
Earlier, the governor, in a communication to Mr Tuki, had said that in compliance with the order of the SC, he stood reinstated as the CM of the state and asked him to call the state legislative Assembly session and prove his majority in the House no later than Saturday.
Governor J.P. Rajkhowa proceeded on a long leave on Sunday citing ill health. Tripura governor, Tathagata Roy, is Arunachal’s acting governor. The communiqué was sent by Mr Roy.
Speaker Nabam Rebia, who was also reinstated by the Supreme Court and attended office on Thursday, also said that the Assembly needs at least 10 to 15 days to summon a session. “I have received the governor’s order asking the state government to go for floor test on July 16 which is practically impossible keeping in mind the uneven topography and inclement weather, besides the communication bottlenecks in the state,” he told reporters. Many legislators, he added, might be out of station and would need time to return.
He, however, added that if the governor insists, he would convene a session of the Assembly on Saturday to conduct the floor test.
The governor’s communique to Mr Tuki said in order to ensure peaceful proceedings, the floor test should be videographed and the majority proved by division and not by voice vote.
Mr Roy further emphasised that the conduct of the proceedings, including the videography in the House, should strictly follow the principles laid down by the Supreme Court in its order of May 6 regarding imposition of President’s Rule in Uttarakhand in the Union of India vs Harish Chandra Singh Rawat.
A note to this effect has also been sent to the Assembly secretariat.
with PTI inputs
