High Court keeping things in abeyance regarding the disqualification of nine dissident Congress MlAs by the Speaker till April 23 has left the politicians of both the warring camps frustrated. They were expectantly looking up to the court to deliver its ruling on Tuesday itself, ending the protracted spell of political volatility and enlivening their hope of installing a Government of their own.
The turmoil that started on March 18 with the fracas created in the Assembly over the State Budget culminated in the Centre promulgating the President’s Rule on March 27 followed by the disqualification of the nine renegade Congress lawmakers by the Speaker the same day. Both the BJP and the Congress have been at loggerheads since then, making one another responsible for the crisis the State has landed itself in.
Things have remained mired in speculative murkiness since March 18 - the day the nine Congress MlAs made a history of sorts in Uttarakhand’s 15-year history as a State by breaking ranks with the Congress and joining the Opposition BJP, demanding division of votes on the Budget.
A sting, circulated a few days after, purportedly showing the ex-CM offering to open wide the Government’s purse strings to humour the rebels back into the party folds, quickened the pace of downward curve of Rawat’s political career, steeling the Centre’s resolve to oust him from power through promulgation of President’s Rule.
However, Uttarakhand has proved to be an extremely vulnerable State as far as the stability of the Government is concerned. None of the eight CMs, except ND Tiwari, who adorned the chair of CM, completed five-year terms thanks to dissidents raising flag of revolt midway.
Interestingly, six of them —ND Tiwari, Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Maj Gen Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri, Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Vijay Bahuguna and Harish Rawat- are enjoying privileges they are entitled to as ex-CMs at the expense of the State exchequer and this, at a time when the State is supposed to be reeling under severe economic crisis, stalling developmental activities.
If we except Tiwari- the octogenarian leader is still kicking though- all the five are eyeing the coveted post they were made to vacate under pressing circumstances. While three of them are enjoying sprawling bungalows three others, including Rawat, are staying in Government guest houses, all in Dehradun. For instance, Dr Nishank is staying in the annexe on Cant Road and Vijay Bahuguna is staying in Bijapur House. Among others, while Harish Rawat is staying in Bijapur Guest House N D Tiwari is staying in FRI Guest House. While Bhagat Singh Koshyari is staying in a bungalow on Cant Road Gen Khanduri is staying in Yamuna Colony.
The observers say that with the number of the former CMs rising by leaps and bounds, courtesy the schism set deep into the character of politics since the State’s inception, the government, now running the State under the President’s Rule, should think out of the box to end the government funds being squandered away to ensure privileges to the ex-CMs. This is what democracy warrants, they say.
“This is the right time when the Governor should step in. Things would turn impossible once the political rule is restored, for the CM who would come up after the crisis is over would never agree to part with the fat privileges he would enjoy once he follows in the footsteps of his illustrious predecessors on being ousted from office,” said one of the observers.