Proclamation of President’s rule in Uttarakhand placed in Parliament

Government today placed copies of the proclamation of President’s Rule in Uttarakhand in both Houses of Parliament amid objections by Congress members.

In Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy also laid a copy of the Uttarakhand Appropriation (Vote on Account) Ordinance.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Haribhai Prathibhai Chaudhary laid the copies of proclamation for President’s Rule issued by President Pranab Mukherjee on March 27 under Article 356 of the Constitution with regard to Uttarakhand.

He also laid the March 26 report of Uttarakhand Governor and the record of proceedings of the Supreme Court arising out of impugned final judgement and April 21 order of the High Court in this regard.

Congress, whose members forced repeated adjournments in the House accusing the government of “murder of democracy”, reacted sharply to the government placing these documents without listing them in the business.

“This is exactly what we have been objecting to. This government has assaulted the Constitution and democracy,” Congress leader Anand Sharma said in Rajya Sabha, referring to the documents.

On March 27, a day before the scheduled vote of confidence of the state’s Congress government, Uttarakhand was brought under President’s Rule by the Centre on grounds of “breakdown of governance”.

The controversial decision came in the wake of a political crisis triggered by a rebellion in the ruling Congress.

President Pranab Mukherjee, on the recommendation of the Union Cabinet, signed the proclamation under Article 356 of the Constitution dismissing the Congress government headed by Harish Rawat and placing the Assembly under suspended animation this morning on the recommendation of the Union Cabinet.

Rawat challenged the proclamation in the High Court which revoked the President’s Rule and ordered floor test in the Assembly on April 29. The central government challenged that order in the Supreme Court which has stayed operation of the High Court verdict till April 27.