HC Verdict in Uttarakhand: Congress to Seek Legal Opinion on Rebels
NEW DELHI: Congress will seek legal opinion on the issue of allowing the nine rebel party MLAs to vote in the March 31 floor test in Uttarakhand to seek clarity on the High Court order.
Welcoming the court order, party General Secretary Ambika Soni squarely blamed the Centre, accusing it of acting in "undue haste" to dismiss the Harish Rawat government on the eve of the trust vote.
Talking to reporters here, she alleged that the "mistake" by the Centre in the matter has led to problems as the "unconstitutional act" has resulted in many new issues cropping up.
Replying to questions, she said the AICC will seek legal opinion by talking to senior lawyers like Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Singhvi.
She said the party failed to understand as to where the rebel MLAs could vote since they have been disqualified they cannot enter the Assembly.
Soni, who is in-charge of party affairs in the hill state, insisted that till today there has been no voting outside the House on floor test.
Besides, she said as per rules, the Speaker cannot allow entry of "non-members" in the House of representatives.
The Congress leader remained ambivalent on questions whether the party would attempt to woo the rebels to ensure smooth sailing for Rawat in the trust vote. "Wait and see, what we do," she told a questioner.
At the same time, she said as many as 34 MLAs had marched along with Rawat to the Governor to express their support to him yesterday. She said the MLAs on their own have given affidavits in the matter.
She said this when asked whether the Congress is going to issue a whip asking its members to vote for Rawat. She said that a whip is just a "procedural aspect"
Targeting the Centre, she wondered how could President's Rule could be imposed in a state just on the basis of a sting whose authenticity is not known.
In a jolt to the Centre, the Uttarkhand High Court today ordered a floor test in the Assembly on March 31, giving a new turn to the political developments two days after President's Rule was imposed in the state.