The deep division in the Congress in Uttarakhand can't be attributed to the BJP, Arun Jaitley has said.
Highlights
- Congress accused BJP of engineering spilt in Uttarakhand
- 9 Congress MLAs sided with BJP during debate on budget
- Saying Congress is minority, BJP has staked claim to form government
As Uttarakhand speaker issued showcause notice to nine rebel Congress lawmakers, Union minister Arun Jaitley said the crisis should not be attributed to the BJP.
The crisis had hit Uttarakhand's Harish Rawat-led Congress government last week after two Congress lawmakers sided with the BJP in the assembly to demand a division of votes on the finance bill. When the BJP sought the government's dismissal and staked claim to form the government, nine Congress lawmakers had even gone to meet the Governor.
"There is a deep division in the Congress in Uttarakhand... it should not be attributed to the BJP," Mr Jaitley said while addressing the media today during the Day 2 of the BJP's national executive meet.
The Congress had earlier accused the BJP of engineering the split and today, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi tweeted:
The Congress Party, he said, will fight "demagoguery with democracy".
In his notice, Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal asked the rebels why their Vidhan Sabha membership should not be terminated under the anti-defection law. They have been given time till March 26 to respond.
On Saturday, Governor KK Paul wrote to Chief Minister Harish Rawat asking him to prove his majority on the floor of the house before March 28.
Chief Minister Harish Rawat, who has been asked to prove his majority on the floor of the House by March 28, said: "First, they broke the leg of the horse (Shaktiman) and are now indulging in horse trading to destabilise Uttarakhand."
The Congress has a total strength of 36 in the 70-member Assembly. The ruling party also has the support of six members of the Progressive Democratic Front. The loss of nine lawmakers will reduce the government to a minority. The BJP has 28 lawmakers.
Chief minister Rawat claims there is no threat to his government. "We are ready to prove our majority" he said and added that the rebel MLAs "are in touch with us. They haven't left the Congress."