Rawat govt under threat, nine Congress MLAs rebel

The four-year-old Harish Rawat government in Uttarakhand was under threat on Friday with rebel Congress MLAs raising a banner of revolt and joining BJP in the Assembly in demanding a division of votes amid chaos on the state’s annual budget that could have led to its fall.

State Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, however, rejected the demand for the division of votes triggering chaos in the Assembly with both opposition BJP and rebel Congress MLAs sitting on a dharna in the well of the House to insist on this procedure terming it their democratic right.

The Congress has a strength of 36 MLAs in the 70-member Uttarakhand Assembly. The ruling party also has the support of 6 members of the Progressive Democratic Front, while the BJP has 28 MLAs.

Rejecting the demand by the opposition, Speaker Kunjwal announced passage of the budget by voice vote and adjournment of the House till March 28 before he left his chair in the midst of prevailing din.

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.

Denying the members the right to go for a division of votes on the budget was murder of democracy, a BJP leader Umesh Agarwal alleged saying it was evasive tactics of the state government in the face of sure defeat.  Rebel Congress MLAs seen raising anti-government slogans along with BJP in the House were mostly those owing allegiance to former CM Vijay Bahuguna including Harak Singh Rawat, Amrita Rawat, Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion, Shaila Rani Rawat, Pradip Batra and Subodh Uniyal, a confirmed Bahuguna loyalist.