Accusing the Modi government of trying to "oust" the Congress regime in Arunachal Pradesh with a "pre-planned design", Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and other party leaders today met President Pranab Mukherjee and lodged a strong protest against state Governor Jyoti Prashad Rajkhowa.
"It is clear that the BJP top leadership in connivance with some dissident Congress MLAs planned to destabilize the democratically-elected Congress Government in Arunachal Pradesh.
"This is obviously a pre-planned design involving the highest functionaries of the Central Government in this unprincipled enterprise," the Congress chief told reporters at Rashtrapati Bhavan after meeting the President.
The Congress delegation handed over a memorandum to Mukherjee, urging him to preserve the sanctity of the Constitution, the democratic traditions of the country and polity and the rule of law.
It said the President should issue "appropriate directions/advisory" in this regard.
The delegation, led by Sonia Gandhi, included party Vice President Rahul Gandhi and senior leaders A K Antony, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjuna Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, its Deputy Leader Anand Sharma and Ahmed Patel.
Alleging that the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh has acted "contrary to" the spirit and scheme of the Constitution, the Congress said,"it seems the Governor, at the behest of the Central Government, along with those Congress MLAs enticed to defect to the BJP is using unconstitutional means in seeking to oust the democratically elected Government of the state."
The party alleged that the Governor's actions have created a "constitutional crisis" and constitutional tenets of propriety are being "wantonly disregarded".
Governor Rajkhowa had a few days ago issued orders for convening the three-day Winter Session from December 16 to 18, modifying the earlier order of summoning the House from January 14 to 18.
Sonia Gandhi said the delegation conveyed to the President
"our anguish and concerns at the manner in which the Congress government in Arunachal Pradesh is sought to be destabilised".
"We have sought his protection to ensure the sanctity of the Constitution," she said.
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "We are very sorry to say that unconstitutional activities are made to be carried out by the Governor on the directions of the central government.
"The Assembly session was scheduled to begin on January 14. But the Governor himself prorogued the assembly on November 3 and has advanced the session. The chief minister, Cabinet and the Speaker do not have any information about it. Always in the Constitution, whether it is the Parliament or the Assembly, the government decides and then requests the President at the national or the Governor at the state level and asks him to issue a summon," he said.
Narrating the sequence of events in the state, the delegation alleged that apart from "lowering the esteem of the high office of the Governor, undermining democratic principles and traditions" it also "exposes the Central Government's efforts to oust a democratically elected government" in Arunachal Pradesh.
The party met the President after disrupting Parliament for the second consective day slamming Centre over the Governor's role and alleged that efforts are being made to "destabilise" the party's state government, even as the Centre said an "Emergency-like situation" was being witnessed there.
The party forced repeated adjournments of Rajya Sabha over the issue while in Lok Sabha, its members, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, staged a walkout.
Alleging "murder of Constitution and democracy", the Congress members in both Houses demanded the dismissal of the Governor and forced two adjournments in Rajya Sabha.
14 rebel Congress MLAs behind the move for Speaker Nabam Rebia's removal were disqualified from the Assembly today, on the eve of its winter session which would take up the impeachment motion notice served by 11 BJP and two independent members.
Led by former minister Kalikho Pul, 21 Congress MLAs out of the total 47 in the 60-member House have raised a banner of revolt against the leadership of Chief Minister Tuki for the last three months.
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In the 60-member Legislative Assembly of Arunachal Pradesh, 47 MLAs belong to the INC, 11 BJP and 2 Independents.
The Congress leadership gave a represenation to Mukherjee against the order of the Governor issued on December 9 through which Rajkhowa had advanced the Winter session of the state.
Noting that in the last few weeks, certain very "disquieting" events have transpired in Arunachal Pradesh, the Congress leadership said that the Governor had on November 3 issued an order under Article 174(1) of the Constitution of India on the advice of the Chief Minister for summoning of the state Assembly for its 6th Session from January 14, 2016.
"On December 9, the Governor without consulting the Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers, issued an order under Article 174(1) of the Constitution of India preponing the 6th Session of the State Assembly to December 16, 2015 though the said session was to commence from January 14, 2016.
"This order, we believe was issued at the instance of the MLAs of the BJP, who on November 9, 2015 issued a notice for resolution for removal of the Speaker of the State Assembly," the delegation said in the memorandum.
The Congress insisted that there is no provision either under the Constitution of India or Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business ("Conduct of Business Rules"), which empowers the Governor to prepone (summon) the session of the state Assembly without consulting the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers.
"Surprisingly, on December 9, 2015, the Governor also sent a message under Article 175(2) of the Constitution of India inter-alia fixing the "resolution for removal of the Speaker" as the 1st item of the agenda for the State Assembly on its 1st sitting in its 6th Session," the memorandum said, adding that such a conduct of a highest Constitutional authority is unprecedented.
"We believe that the above sequences of events establish beyond doubt that the Governor, instead of acting in the best interests of the state, is being guided by partisan political interests of the BJP. The Governor's actions have created a constitutional crisis and constitutional tenets of propriety are being wantonly disregarded," it said.
The party said that on November 6, 2015, a notice for resolution for removal of the Deputy Speaker of the state Assembly was submitted by the MLAs of Congress.
Flagging that law and order is a state subject, Congress alleged that the Governor without the knowledge of the Chief Minister and Home Minister of the state, requisitioned Central forces to be deployed in the State.
"Incidentally, the Minister of State for Home (Kiran Rijiju), an elected MP from Arunachal Pradesh, is in-charge of North-eastern States. This act of the Governor in requesting the Home Ministry and deploying CRPF and ITBP forces is subversion of Constitutional authority vested with the democratically elected Government of Arunachal Pradesh," the party said.
