The political crisis in Arunachal Pradesh continued to mar Parliament’s functioning on Thursday with repeated disruptions as the Congress raised a din alleging efforts to “destabilise” an elected State Assembly by the Governor and terming the situation in the border State facing China as “alarming.”
While the Rajya Sabha faced adjournments with Congress members time and again storming into the Well of the House, the main Opposition party members staged a walkout in the lok Sabha. It was the third straight day when the Upper House could not function over the Arunachal Pradesh issue.
Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said it was for the first time in independent India that a Deputy Speaker of Assembly removes the Speaker and that too not in the Assembly, but from a makeshift venue.
Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien said Chairman Hamid Ansari was yet to take a decision on a substantive motion moved by the Congress to discuss the role of Governor and therefore, Azad could not discuss the matter now.
Azad said on the one hand, the Government was seeking Opposition’s cooperation in running of the House, on the other it was “dislodging” an elected State Government. Terming the situation as “alarming” in the State, he said the crisis in Arunachal Pradesh was a warning signal to regional political parties after some MlAs had dislodged the Speaker and elected Government from “someone’s drawing room.”
Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) said the developments in Arunachal Pradesh were “anti-democratic.” Deputy leader of the Congress Anand Sharma said his party was compelled to protest because the Centre is “destablising an elected Government in a sensitive border State.” It is an assault on the Constitution, he added.
In the lok Sabha, leader of the Congress Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue saying there was a “constitutional crisis” in the State and charging the BJP with creating a divide among the Congress MlAs there.
He criticised the role of the Governor but Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai ordered that all remarks against the Governor should be expunged. “A few days back Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) has said ‘D’ stands for disruption. But here ‘D’ stands for destroying democracy,” Kharge said following which the Congress staged a walkout from the House.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu denied any role of the Central Government in the political situation in Arunachal Pradesh and said the Chief Minister went to meet the Governor for discussions on Wednesday, but there they accused and abused the Governor.
“They have locked the Assembly. Surprising things are happening. You may quit if you don’t have majority. You cannot discuss the conduct of the Governor... Decision of Governor cannot be questioned. They are abusing Governor and accusing the Government, this is not acceptable...If they have any problem they should go to the court,” Naidu said. He also maintained the Governor has “acted within the Constitution and he has been informing the President (of the happenings)”.