Congress planning to demand reply from government on Arunachal issue in Parliament

NEW DELHI: Buoyed by the Supreme Court verdict on Arunachal Pradesh, Congress plans to corner the government in Parliament during the first week of the Monsoon session starting July 18.

Sources said the party intends to demand a reply from the government on the Arunachal Pradesh issue and press for the dismissal of Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa in the wake of the Supreme Court verdict.

Top Congress leaders today discussed the strategy with party president Sonia Gandhi at her residence, where they are also learnt to have discussed its strategy on GST.

Congress has been pressing for a cap of 18 per cent as part of the Constitutional Amendment bill to which government is not agreeing.

Insiders say this very demand has become a sticking point between Congress and the government but Congress may relent on its rigid stand by agreeing to a cap in the statues and not as part of the Constitution bill.

Government has also proposed a meeting with senior Congress leaders on the issue to iron out differences and this meeting is likely to take place in a day or two between senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

The government plans to push the Constitution Amendment bill in the Rajya Sabha for roll-out of GST in the Monsoon session beginning July 18. The bill was approved by the Lok Sabha earlier.

In a major blow to the BJP earlier in the day, a five- judge Constitution bench of Supreme Court ordered restoration of Congress government in Arunachal Pradesh by quashing all decisions of the Governor that had precipitated its fall in January, holding them "violative" of the Constitution.

The apex court's verdict came as a shot in the arm for the Congress, paving the way for the return of its dismissed government headed by Nabam Tuki.

Tuki hailed the verdict as a victory of democracy and met Sonia and Rahul Gandhi and discussed the situation.

He said he would soon hold a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party in Arunachal to chalk out further strategy and convene a session of the state assembly.

He also appealed to the rebels to come back to the party fold as the Supreme Court had restored his government.