Minutes after the Supreme Court ordered restoration of the previous Nabam Tuki-led Congress Government in Arunachal Pradesh, the present Chief Minister Kalikho Pul said that his Government will continue in the hilly State as he has the required number to prove majority in the House even as he said that he will file a review petition in the apex court.
Pul said this at the Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra here in Guwahati, Pul and some of his Cabinet colleagues are in Guwahati to participate in the formal function of formation of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), the BJP-led conglomeration of all the non-Congress political parties in the Northeastern region of India.
“In democracy, a Government runs on the basis of numbers and not on the basis of a court verdict. I have the required number and so our Government will continue and there is no threat to the present Government,” Pul said while interacting with the media person in Guwahati on Wednesday.
“However, I am going to consult the experts and we are going to file a review petition in the Supreme Court,” said the present Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh. He said that he is waiting for the detail of the Supreme Court verdict.
Union Minister of State for Home, Kiren Rijiju, who was in Guwahati to participate in the NEDA meeting said that the BJP welcomes the verdict of the Supreme Court. “There is no question of filing a review petition by the Government at the Centre. The Government acted on the advice of the Governor only,” Rijiju said while reacting to the issue.
Former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki expressed his happiness over the verdict by the SC and said that the historical and landmark verdict will go a long way in strengthening the democracy in the country.
“I was hopeful that the apex court will deliver justice to us and that happened today. It’s not only a victory for people of Arunachal Pradesh but for those who believes in constitution of India and the spirit of democracy. The verdict makes it clear how the BJP tried to illegally oust the democratically elected Government in Arunachal Pradesh,” said Tuki while speaking to The Pioneer over phone.
Tuki said that he is going to convene a meeting of all the 47 Congress legislators (those who were with the Congress on December 15, 2015) and discuss with them on how to form the Government. On asked about whether he is going to lead the State now, Tuki said that it is the party’s high command who will take a decision in this regard. “Who leads the State is not important. In Congress, our high command is the sole authority and high command will take a decision. However, we are happy that the apex court has delivered the justice to us,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has demanded immediate resignation of Arunachal Pradesh Governor JP Rajkhowa for his effort to undemocratically oust the Congress Government in the hilly State. The APCC also appealed to the BJP and its national president Amit Shah not to kill democracy in Congress ruled states of the northeast India taking advantage of the fact that there is a BJP Government at the Centre.