Modi government recommends President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh

NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet decided to recommend President’s rule in Arunachal Pradesh, which has been in political turmoil for over a month with the matter now being considered by the Supreme Court. The Congress, the ruling party in the state, said the development exposed the BJP government’s "doublespeak" over federalism, even as the party vowed to “decisively fight” the move.

Sources said an emergency meeting of the Cabinet on Sunday morning discussed the political impasse in the northeastern state and took legal opinion before making the decision. The Cabinet was unanimous that central intervention was needed, they said.

While the Congress threatened to legally and politically challenge the move, political sources said the Centre and BJP have two choices before them — either try and prop up an alternate government by the budget session of Parliament or risk the Opposition rejecting the mandatory ratification of the President’s rule in the Rajya Sabha, where the ruling coalition is in minority.

“The BJP and NDA government know very well the issue is pending before the court and, I think, after failing to engineer defections and now fearing they will lose in the court, they have decided to impose the President’s rule,” Congress leader Kapil Sibal said.

The decision to impose the President’s rule will likely prompt Congress’ lawyers to petition against the move. On the others side, many now expect hectic efforts by the Centre and BJP to put in place a government before the Parliament session, failing which it may have troubles in getting the mandatory ratification motion passed. The Congress is planning to make this another issue of “Centre’s destabilisation plots against non-NDA state governments” in order to fan larger Opposition unity.