President Mukherjee and Home Minister Rajnath Singh are likely to meet at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Monday to discuss the Arunachal crisis.
President Pranab Mukherjee had asked the Home Ministry to clarify the urgency of president’s rule in Arunachal Pradesh earlier on Monday after the Union Cabinet chaired by the PM Narendra Modi on Sunday proposed that President’s rule should be imposed in the state.
The Congress said that it will approach the Supreme Court to challenge the Union Cabinet's recommendation for imposing the President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh.
“Recommendation of President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh is an act of political intolerance,” said senior party leader Kapil Sibal. Even the CM of the state said that it was an act of political vandetta.
This shows the vendetta of the #NDA governments to ruling congress. @INCIndia @OfficeOfRG
— Nabam Tuki (@NabamtukiCM) January 25, 2016This current situation has been precipitated by the failure of the state government to hold assembly for the last six months.
“There is a constitutional requirement that there should not be a gap of more than six months between two sessions of a state assembly. If there is a gap of more than six months, there is certainly a constitutional crisis,” former Lok Sabha secretary general PTD Achari toldHindustan Times.
He added, “The union council of minister is well within its power to advise to impose president’s rule as there is sufficient ground to conclude that the constitutional machinery has failed in the state.”
Background
The state assembly had been unstable following a rift within the ruling Congress party between CM Tuki and Kalikho Pul in last November.
Following which on December 16 last year, 21 rebel Congress MLAs of the Kalikho Pul camp joined hands with 11 of BJP and two independents to 'impeach' assembly speaker Nabam Rebia at a makeshift venue, in a move branded as "illegal and unconstitutional" by the speaker.
Kalikho Pul is understood to be as an arch rival of Tuki within the party.
However, Pul was elected the 'chief minister' in a session, advanced by Governor J P Rajkhowa to December 16 from January 14, and held in makeshift premises.
Rebia had then filed a petition challenging the governor's notification of December 9 advancing the assembly session and also the notification issued by Deputy Speaker T Norbu Thondok revoking the suspension of 14 MLAs.
Following that, the Supreme Court had ordered that no session would be continued in the House till January 18. The legality of assembly session conducted on December 16 and 17 by deputy speaker TN Thongdok is under question before a constitution bench of the Supreme Court.