Dehradun: After requesting Uttarakhand Governor K.K. Paul to dismiss the Harish Rawat-led Congress Government, Twenty-six BJP MLAs, along with nine rebel Congress MLAs, left for the capital in a 72-seater charted flight.
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Vijayvargiya however said the Congress leaders, who have revolted against the chief minister, are not those who can be bought for money.
Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand crisis has triggered war of words between the central leadership of the Congress and the BJP even at the Centre.
The Speaker was seen leaving his Chair and making an exit even as a mixed group of BJP and nine rebel Congress MLAs continued to sit on a dharna in the well clamouring for a division of votes on the budget which they said was their democratic right.
This sudden instability of the Congress-led Uttarakhand Government reminds us the recent case of Arunachal Pradesh, where the state Government faltered as few rebel Congress MLAs had joined BJP.
BJP yesterday said Congress leaders were quitting the party because it has become a “sinking ship”.
“Around four to five rebel MLAs are in touch with us now and I am giving them a chance to accept their mistakes”.
Viyajvargiya also claimed to have the support of 35 legislators in the 70-member assembly. “They (Congress MLAs) will have to return to the House and face anti-defection law and also the people who have been cheated”, said Surinder Kumar, the CM’s media advisor. “And now, they are trying to break the leg of Uttarakhand through horse trading”, he added.
The political crisis in Uttarakhand escalated on Sunday with BJP, claiming the support of the rebel MLAs, stepping up efforts to dislodge Rawat. “A minority cannot be converted to a majority just like that, just as a majority cannot be called a minority”, Jaitley said, insinuating that Rawat’s predecessor Vijay Bahuguna could have engineered the rebellion.
The party also charged the government with displaying their “double standards” on the row in the Jawaharlal Nehru University and said: “Double standards of the BJP stands exposed. Rahul Gandhi should not blame BJP for it”.
“As far as Harak Singh is concerned, the less said the better”. The chief minister, however, maintained that his government did not face a threat.
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Rawat said he was shocked by Bahuguna’s conduct in the House on Friday as he came from a family which always fought against communal forces.
