Outrage over President Rule in Arunachal Pradesh

Opposition says ‘murder of democracy’

President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday gave his approval for President’s Rule in Arunachal Pradesh. The north-eastern border state has now come under Central Rule.

Sources said the President signed the proclamation two days after the Union Cabinet held an unscheduled meeting on Sunday to recommend that Arunachal Pradesh be brought under Central Rule. A statement issued by the Union home ministry said the President has signed a proclamation under Article 356 (1) of the Constitution imposing President’s Rule in relation to the state of Arunachal Pradesh and keeping the Legislative Assembly of the state in suspended animation with effect from January 26, 2016.

Mr Y.S. Dadwal, an IPS officer and former Delhi commissioner of police, and IAS officer G.S. Patnaik have been appointed advisers to Arunachal Pradesh governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa and a formal notification has been issued on Central Rule in the state.

“Taking cognisance of the constitutional breakdown that has taken place in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, as reported by the governor of Arunachal Pradesh, the Union Cabinet in its meeting held on January 24, 2016 had recommended to the President of India to issue such a proclamation,” said the statement. “In pursuance of this proclamation, all the functions of the government of the state of Arunachal Pradesh and all the powers vested in or exercisable by the governor of Arunachal Pradesh under the Constitution or under any law in force in that state, which have been assumed by the President by virtue of the said proclamation, shall, subject to the superintendence, direction and control of the President, also be exercisable by the governor of Arunachal Pradesh,” it said.

The President on Tuesday called Union home minister Rajnath Singh and put some queries to him on the need for the imposition of President’s Rule even as the Congress, the ruling party in the state, met him and opposed the Cabinet decision. The Congress urged the President not to give his assent, saying the issue was before the Supreme Court which has decided to hear the Congress petition on Wednesday. The petition seeking urgent hearing was mentioned before Chief Justice T.S. Thakur at his residence and he directed the matter to be listed for hearing on Wednesday. Other major Opposition parties had also attacked the Centre’s decision, saying it amounted to “murder” of democracy, while the BJP said the crisis was of the Congress’ making because it had lost numbers in the Assembly.

Arunachal Pradesh has been rocked by a political crisis since December 16 last year when 21 rebel Congress MLAs joined hands with 11 of the BJP and two Independents to “impeach” Assembly Speaker Nabam Rebia at a makeshift venue, a move branded as “illegal and unconstitutional” by the Speaker.

The Union Cabinet’s decision to impose President’s Rule was based on state governor J.P. Rajkhowa’s report. Up in arms against then state chief minister Nabam Tuki, 21 rebel party MLAs, including 14 disqualified a day before, with the help of the BJP and Independent legislators, congregated at a community hall after the state Assembly complex was “sealed” by the local administration and “impeached” Mr Rebia in an impromptu session chaired by deputy speaker T. Norbu Thongdok.

Twenty-seven MLAs in the 60-member Assembly, including the CM and his ministerial colleagues, boycotted the proceedings. A day later, in a bizarre turn of events, the Opposition BJP and rebel Congress MLAs gathered in a local hotel to “vote out” CM Nabam Tuki and “elect” a rebel Congress MLA in his place, but the Gauhati high court intervened to keep in “abeyance” decisions taken at the rebel “session”. The then CM had also written to the President and Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking their intervention to “uphold” the Constitution in the face of the “unprecedented murder” of democracy and “bypassing” of a democratically-elected government by the governor.