BJP seeks dismissal of Uttarakhand government

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Saturday said the Uttarakhand government led by Chief Minister Harish Rawat has lost the confidence of its legislators and should be dismissed.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also said it is ready to form the government and also to face fresh elections.

"The governor should dismiss the Rawat government in Uttarakhand. It has no moral right to remain in power as it has lost the confidence of its MLAs," BJP secretary Srikant Sharma told reporters here.

In a late Friday night development, at least nine Congress legislators arrived here with all the BJP members of the Uttarakhand assembly by a special charter plane.

BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, national vice president and in-charge of Uttarakhand Shyam Jaju and senior Congress leader Vijay Bahuguna were also among those who arrived here.

Vijayvargiya said here that Rawat government is now in minority and the governor should dismiss it.

"We are ready to form the government as well as to face fresh elections," he told reporters here.

On Friday, the Congress-led Uttarakhand government plunged into political uncertainty as nine of its legislators joined ranks with the principal opposition BJP.

The political upheaval began with the Finance Bill coming up for passage in the assembly, giving ruling party rebels an opportunity to prove that the government has lost its majority.

Led by agriculture minister Harak Singh Rawat, they walked over to the BJP camp.

Earlier, speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal declared the Bill as passed which led to further furore.

Harak Singh Rawat, who had lost the chief ministerial post to Harish Rawat when the government was formed, later resigned from the state cabinet.

After the sudden turn of events, the BJP's 27 legislators along with the nine Congress rebels met Governor K.K. Paul and sought dismissal of the Congress-led government.