Union Cabinet recommend President Rule in Arunachal Pradesh.
NDTV Guwahati 24 January 2016: The turmoil in Arunachal Pradesh intensified today with the union cabinet recommending President's Rule on Sunday, in the first such move since the Modi government came to power.
The situation in the state was discussed at an emergency cabinet meeting this morning chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi before the BJP began its process to re-elect Amit Shah as president.
Sources say the government consulted the Attorney General and decided that the situation in Arunachal Pradesh amounted to a crisis that warranted central intervention.
The Congress, which rules the state, and the Aam Aadmi Party, condemned the decision.
"They are destabilizing a border state. This is political intolerance and Modi is the fountainhead of that intolerance," said former union minister Kapil Sibal of the Congress.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted: "Union Cab recommending Prez rule in Arunachal shocking. Murder of Consti on Rep D eve. BJP lost elections.Now acquiring power thro back door."
The turmoil began in Arunachal Pradesh on December 16 as 21 rebel Congress lawmakers joined hands with 11 BJP and two independent members to "impeach" Speaker Nabam Rebia at a makeshift venue.
27 MLAs in the 60-member Assembly, including Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, boycotted the session calling it illegal and unconstitutional.
A day later, the rebels and opposition lawmakers gathered at a hotel to "vote out" the Chief Minister and elect a rebel lawmaker in his place. A no-confidence motion moved by BJP and independent lawmakers was adopted with Deputy Speaker T Norbu Thongdok, who is also a rebel, in the Chair.
On Speaker Nabam Rebia's petition, the Gauhati High Court put on hold the decisions taken at the rebel "session". After the High Court dismissed the petition, the Speaker moved the Supreme Court, which has referred the case to a Constitutional bench.
Nabam Tuki has alleged that Governor Rajkhowa, acting as a "BJP agent", helped the rebel Congress lawmakers in their attempt to topple his government by calling an assembly session ahead of time.
