Political volatility continuing to dog Uttarakhand with the battle taken to the courts, the arch rivals-Congress and BJP-keep on crossing swords. In the latest of the war of words, State BJP principal spokesperson Munna Singh Chouhan alleged on Wednesday that the former Chief Minister Harish Rawat and his MlA Navprabhat who is a self-proclaimed constitutional expert are engaged in spreading mis-information while invoking sections of the Constitution to sling mud on the Centre. “It seems they are either ignoramuses regarding the Constitutional subtleties or they are taking the people for a ride as part of their vilification campaign against the Centre,” he said.
In his bid to clear things, the State BJP leader said that the Congress’s stance cannot stand legislative scrutiny with Vidhan Sabha proceeding rule 204 and Article 114 of Indian Constitution making things clear vis-à-vis the appropriation bill. “As per these two rules, the Congress- led government could not have passed the Budget, being reduced to minority in the House,” he said.
Sounding concerned over the difficulty the departments might face to receive grants, Chouhan said they get grants following Vidhan Sabha’s approval. “The appropriation bill getting stuck into controversy due to its non-passage in the House landed the State in grim crisis, warranting the imposition of President’s Rule,” he said, adding that the Speaker seemed to have either ignorantly or deliberately muddled money bill and appropriation bill together when they were two completely separate things.
Rubbishing the Congress stance that the rules bars division of votes on appropriation bill, the BJP leader said that the Speaker could not reject such a demand even a single MlA raised it in the House.
Dubbing the Speaker’s action in disqualifying the rebel Congress MlAs on March 27 as unconstitutional, he said with the promulgation of the President’s Rule and the Vidhan Sabha being kept under suspended animation, the Speaker was in no position to take such momentous decisions. “He could at best get on with some routine works,” he said.
