To keep their own house intact in the face of the alleged poaching bid by BJP and rumblings of dissention within, two senior central leaders— Ambika Soni and Ghulam Nabi Azad—are coming to Dehradun in a day or two. Meanwhile, the MlAs of the Congress and those of PDF, the Congress ally, have been packed away to hilly Dhanaulti in Tehri district where they are learnt to be staying in a newly constructed hotel.
Notably, the stage is set for the showdown as the Supreme Court ordered floor test slated on Tuesday. Earlier, the apex court had asked the Centre to withdraw the President’s Rule for two hours — from 11 am to 1 pm — to facilitate the May 10 floor test. It was decided that the floor test would be held in these two hours.
However, the Supreme Court stopped short of pronouncing a ruling on the crucial case of the State Assembly Speaker disqualifying nine Congress MlAs who had raised the banner of revolt against Harish Rawat along with the BJP lawmakers on the fateful day of May 18-the day the State Budget was claimed to have been passed by a voice vote.
The State Congress strategists are still putting up a brave face despite the disturbing development of many Congress MlAs and those from PDF giving the Harish Rawat-hosted tea party a miss on Friday. They say that they would win the trust vote hands down with little possibility of the ‘disqualified’ MlAs being enabled to vote. However, things vis-à-vis the ‘disqualified’ MlAs would be made clear after the High Court single bench gives its momentous ruling on the critical case on Monday morning.
Meanwhile, with the political mercury spiraling with the grand showdown drawing near, the State administration and police are gearing up to ensure security of all the MlAs. This followed the Apex Court’s order to the Chief Secretary and DGP on the matter. The court made it clear that none of the MlAs should find any problem to reach the Assembly on the day the floor test is slated for.
Harish Rawat averred again on Saturday that they were in an advantageous position vis-à-vis the floor test with as many as 34 out of 62 MlAs with right to vote being with them. The breakup is Congress with 28 and PDF with six MlAs aside from the one nominated one from the Anglo-Indian community.
However, taking no chances with BJP being ‘hell-bent’ on luring some of them away by dangling money and other allurements, the party decided to hide them in an undisclosed place.
Among the Congress and PDF leaders present with Harish Rawat on the day were Indira Hridayesh, Dinesh Aggrawal, Mantri Prasad Naithani, Rajkumar, Prof Jeet Ram, Ganesh Godiyal, Madan Singh Bisht, Vijaypal Sajwan, Manoj Tiwari, lalit Farswan, Sunderwal Manderwal, Mamta Rakesh, Rekha Arya, Dinesh Dhanai, Preetam Singh Panwar, Sarbat Karim Ansari, haridas, Hemesh Kharkwal, Vikram Singh Negi, Navprabhat and Harish Chandra Durgapal. Rawat said that all the 34 MlAs had pledged to stand by him rock-like on the day of reckoning. “Make no mistake we would win hands down,” a buoyed Rawat claimed.