Arunachal CM Kalikho Pulls off Confidence Vote
GUWAHATI: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Kalikho Pul won the floor test in the State Assembly on Thursday 40-0 via voice vote. Wangki Lowang, elected Speaker unopposed after Governor J P Rajkhowa’s address, had moved the motion of confidence for Pul in the Assembly.
Other than the Speaker, the MLAs, who attended the session, included 27 from the Congress, 11 from the BJP besides two Independents. Pul’s predecessor, Nabam Tuki, and 16 MLAs loyal to him did not attend. On Wednesday, the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee had termed the Governor’s decision to summon the two-day session “illegal and unconstitutional and an attempt to disturb the status quo pending adjudication of the special leave petition” filed by former speaker Nabam Rebia in the SC.
APCC president and CLP Chief Whip, Rajesh Tacho, issued a whip directing party MLAs, including the 14 disqualified MLAs, not to attend the session. He had warned that violation of the whip would entail disqualification.
Pul said, “Development, fiscal discipline, employment through creation of posts for doctors, teachers, police personnel etc are our priority areas.” The Governor said, “Our government shall make every effort to curb financial profligacy. Wasteful expenditure will be identified, minimised and eliminated. Funds will be basically deployed for creation of assets and human resources. A slim government is always a speedier government. A flabby one besides moving at a snail’s pace becomes a breeding ground for corruption and inefficiency.” He said a Public Finance Watchdog Committee would be constituted to “advise on augmenting receipts as well as on rationalising expenditure to function as an emergency lamp for the government so that errors were culled out when just being committed”.