Home minister Indrajit Gupta explained that the Assembly had been kept alive to give the BJP "a long rope ...Let them form a government that can function. We will welcome it." He said the Centre had chosen not to move in when Governor Krishnapal Singh initially reported the breakdown of the constitutional machinery but "now, it is obvious that there is no possibility of any smooth, normal functioning of the Assembly - at least for some time."
The BJP had claimed that its government proved its majority on the floor of the House on Wednesday, with the support of 92 of the 182 members. The Centre maintained that sitting had been illegal since the Chief Minister proposed that Daulat Desai should preside. The House rules provide that only the Speaker or the deputy speaker can appoint one of the panel of vice-chairmen to take the chair in their absence.
Central ministers said the confidence motion was passed through a voice vote, which is never used to establish majority, and that the House had not been called to order at all before the Chief Minister proposed that Desai should take the Speaker's place.
The Centre's swift action came after the Union cabinet held an emergency meeting to review the second report sent by the Governor late on Wednesday night giving a detailed account of the day's happenings in the state Assembly. His first report was submitted last Friday.
Soon after the presidential proclamation dismissing the state government under Article 356, Union home secretary K Padmanabhiah directed the Gujarat chief secretary and the state police chief to take strict measures to maintain law and order and conduct of the administration. This is the fifth time Gujarat comes under President's rule.
While theBJP described the Centre's action as 'murder of democracy', almost all other parties, including SJP leader Chandra Shekhar and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, who is known for his opposition to Article 356, welcomed the move.
Politicians speculated on whether the BJP will be able to convert the loss of its Gujarat government into an issue for the UP elections. One pointed out that the other side could also make an issue of the violence unleashed against the opposition.