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ASSENG/2015/64205
Vol. 1
Issue 229
The Surprising Historical Truth About the 'Silk Road'
Dibrugarh, Monday, January 25, 2016
Price -
5.00
What Made A Young Man Give Up The Faith He Held So Dear?
Banks to receive commission for unlocking household gold
Page 9
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Pages- 12
French President to arrive in Chandigarh on three-day visit to India Page 6
Unprecedented Political Crisis in Arunachal
President’s Rule in Arunachal Pradesh? Modi Govt decides to impose President Rule in Arunachal Pradesh at an Emergency Cabinet Meeting today 1.Raj Bhavan was Gheraoed 2. Governor Letters Ignored ANI, 3.Officials Itanagar, Jan.24 Funding AntiGovernment Chief Minister Nabam Tuki Rally on Sunday said that the Union
An emergency meeting of the cabinet was held this morning which approved the decision to impose Article 356 in the state.
Cabinet’s recommendation for 4 . S p e a k e r the imposition of President’s locked Assem- Rule in Arunachal Pradesh is against the Constitution. bly premises
It is learnt that the cabinet is going to send its recommendation to the President to impose President's rule in the border state. A letter, sources said, was being readied at the time of filing of the report. Sources say the government consulted the Attorney General and decided that law and order and governance had collapsed in Arunachal Pradesh and the situation warranted central intervention. The move means that the Budget Session of the Parliament, scheduled to start sometime in the third week of February, will be far from tranquil. The passage of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill in the Rajya Sabha is unlikely in these changed circumstances. The Congress had paralysed Parliament's Winter Session over the Arunachal issue. Congress president Sonia Gandhi had led a delegation to the President seeking his intervention accusing the BJP top leadership of planning to destabilize the democratically elected government and alleged the
The governor has piloted everything and reported to the Government of India as some people had staged a democratically peaceful protest in front of Raj Bhawan.”
Govt Justification for Prez Rule
In a move which would have huge political ramifications, the Union government today decided to impose President's rule in Congressruled Arunachal Pradesh.
In a statement issued here,
5 . G o v e r n o r Tuki said, “There is no official Publicly in- intimation. I heard news about sulted the Union Cabinet recommended imposition of The political crisis in the state was 6. Session not President’s Rule on the basis discussed at a Cabinet Meeting at of the governor’ report, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home. convened on without consulting me as Chief Jan 21 Minister or the Council of Ministers.”
"highest functionaries" of the Central Government are involved in the "unprincipled enterprise". Congress had hit out the Governor for advancing the Assembly session and deciding it agenda. The Governor had directed that the first item on the agenda should be a resolution for removal of the Speaker. He had directed that the Deputy Speaker, who is disgruntled with the Congress, "shall preside over the House from the first moment of the first sitting of the House in accordance with provisions in article 181(1) of the Constitution."
The Governor's message dated December 9 further instructs that the procedures related to removal of the Speaker "shall be completed at the first sitting of the session itself" and that "until the session is prorogued, no presiding officer shall alter the party composition in the House." Congress had argued that there is no provision either under the Constitution or Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business ("Conduct of Business Rules"), which empowers the Governor to advance (summon) the session of the State Assembly without consulting the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers.
He further stated, “Though expected because of the attitude of the governor right from the day he took charge, I don’t see any reason for such a decision. There is absolutely no law and order incident and the ruling Congress is supported by a very strong party base throughout the state. The government has been functioning. When the matter is sub-judice in the five-member constitutional bench of the Supreme Court, such a decision is in total violation of the Constitution and illegal. Such a situation has never occurred in this most sensitive border and tribal state of Arunachal Pradesh, a very peaceful state.
Modi master of lecture; Sarbananda ‘useless’ minister: CM Gogoi Assam CM unveils twin schemes for tea community to woo tea voters ahead of state assembly elections A Staff Reporter Dibrugarh, Jan 24
With only a couple of months left for the Assam assembly elections, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today started two ambitious projects for the welfare of the tea tribes in a bid to regain the confidence of the tea voters which moved away from Congress during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls as two BJP young guns Rameswar Teli and Kamakhaya Prasad Tasa defeated two Congress stalwarts in Paban Singh Ghatowar and Late B.K.Handique to win the Dibrugarh and Jorhat LS seats respectively. Both the LS constituencies are dominated by tea voters. Although the programme today was officially organized by the Dibrugarh district administration on behalf of the state government spending lakhs of money from the government exchequer it was totally turned into a Congress poll rally with the presence of the CM and several other Congress leaders.
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The twin schemes unveiled by the CM today – Bagan Ghar
and Bagan Bus – is aimed to win back the confidence of the tea voters, largely in upper Assam and also throughout the state. Most of the legislative assembly constituencies in upper Assam have sizeable tea voters and many of them are dominated by tea voters. While unveiling the ‘Bagan Ghar’ scheme Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today distributed Land Pattas and land allotment certificates to the landless tea garden workers and also announced a grant of Rs. 75, 000 for each beneficiary. Of the amount, Rs. 25, 000 will be subsidy from the government side while the rest amount will be bank loan with a very small interest percentage. The beneficiary will be getting a plot of 1 katha and 7 lechas under the schemes to construct their houses with the monetary aid. The second scheme initiated by the CM today is the ‘Bagan Bus’ which will enable students from the tea community to travel to the schools located in the towns for higher education. The CM handed over land
pattas to some of the beneficiaries and also flagged off a fleet of 20 buses under the ‘Bagan bus’ scheme during the programme held at the Old Government Boys’ High School field, here. In all 2,700 land pattas and land allotment certificates will be distributed to beneficiaries in Dibrugarh district. Launching a scathing attacking upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gogoi said that he will be coming with a detailed account of what his government has done during the last 15 years by February 7 in the form of a white paper. He then challenged Modi to come up with what his government has done for Assam during the last 15 months. “The PM is a master of lectures, now since the elections are round the corner he is coming to Assam again and again, if he is so much concerned about Assam, why did not he come to Dibrugarh when the town was facing one of the worst floods?” Gogoi asked. The CM also criticized union minister and state BJP President Sarbananda Sonowal
Angry Reactions
for his alleged failure in bringing new projects of the state. “Sonowal is a useless minister. He has failed to convince the Prime Minister about the requirements of the state. This is why the Centre is reducing the central grants to Assam almost every day”, Gogoi said. Around 5000 people attended the meeting. The people in the tea garden areas have been staying for several decades without any land documents which often creates problems for them to avail benefits of several government schemes. This problem will be over now, he asserted. “Our party thinks for the poor people. I was born in a tea garden and had my initial education in a village school; therefore, I am very well aware about the problems of the tea gardens and villages. The BJP is a party of the rich and therefore, it only works for the benefit of the poor”, the CM added.
Contd. on Page 2
He asked, “When the Congress has some internal problems, how can 11 BJP MLAs form the government in the 60member house (reduced to 58 with the Gauhati High Court terming the acceptance of resignation of two MLAs by Speaker Nabam Rebia right) and the ruling government has the support of 31 MLAs? Is it justified for recommending President’s Rule?” “When we had demanded a change of the governor, the Government of India is giving him more power with the sole intention to topple the Congress Government which would be suicidal, as it would amount to a murder of democracy and destroy the prevailing peace. The Government of India, particularly the Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, would be responsible for anything going wrong in the state,” Tuki warned without mincing words. He said the Government of Arunachal Pradesh would challenge the Centre’s decision in the Supreme Court besides drawing the attention of President of India to protect the Constitution. Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Padi Richo asked, “Is the Arunachal situation worse than the Godhra carnage in Gujarat? How can the Government of India manipulate the Constitution with the sole objective of toppling a popularly elected state government?”
Omar Abdulla
Arvind Kejriwal
Nitish Kumar
Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir
Chief Minister of Delhi
Chief Minister of Bihar
"There is something deeply unsettling about the way Raj Bhavans are being used again to unseat elected governments by encouraging defections,"
"Union Cabinet recom-
"Strongly Condemn Centre's move to impose President Rule in Arunachal Pradesh, while the matter is still pending before SC's Constitutional Bench"
V. Narayanasamy
Kapil Sibal
Randeep S Surjewala
Congree Leader
Senior Congress Leader & Lawyer
Senior Congress Leader
"Government's move to recommend President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh as a murder of democracy and violation of constitutional propriety"
Congress to move court ET Bureau New Delhi, Jan.24
The Congress on Sunday said it will ch allenge in court Cabinet's recommendation for imposing President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh if it gets presidential assent, as the party lashed out at the Narendra Modi government accusing it of "trampling" on democracy. The "very wrong" step has
spect for federalism and States being equal part of 'Team India' stands exposed," Mr. Surjewala said. Congress leader Kapil Sibal said the party will move court and alleged that the step shows that Mr. Modi is "fountainhead" of political intolerance. "We will challenge it.... This bypassing the matter, which is being heard by the Supreme
on 4th March 2012 Modi twitted that UPA is adamant on destroying Federal Structure of India. "Modiji's doublespeak of respect for federalism and States being equal part of 'Team India' stands exposed," Mr. Surjewala said. exposed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "doublespeak" on federalism, the party alleged. "Modi government's decision to impose President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh reflects travesty of Constitutional mandate, subjugation of federalism and trampling of democracy," AICC communication department chief Randeep Surjewala said. "Modiji's doublespeak of re-
mending Prez rule in Arunachal shoking! Murder of constitution on Republic Day Eve! BJP lost elections. Now acquiring power through back door"
Court.... President is Constitutional head he will apply his mind and will take appropriate decision," Mr. Sibal told reporters. "Government has taken a very wrong step. There cannot be possibly any wrong step than this. The Governor had embarrassed himself and now the government is embarrassing itself. They will pay a heavy price," he remarked. Contd. on Page 3
"This is an act of political intolerance by government, which talks of cooperative federalism,"
"Modi government's imposition of President Rule in Arunanchal Pradesh reflects travesty of Constitutional mandate and subjugation of federalism".
Timeline of Arunachal crisis November 2011: Nabam Tuki wins the election and becomes Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh. His brother Nebum Rebhia is appointed Speaker
to commence from January 14, 2016.
December 2014: Health and Family welfare minister Kalikho Pul is dropped from the government in a cabinet reshuffle
December, 2015: The Governor also sends a message under Article 175(2) of the Constitution of India inter-alia fixing the "resolution for removal of the Speaker" as the 1st item of the agenda for the State Assembly on its 1st sitting in its 6th Session
April 2015: Kalikho Pul charges the government with financial mismanagement. He is expelled from the Congress party on charges of anti-party activity.
December, 2015: Pul is allegedly heard making derogatory remarks about Nyishi tribe and also seeking money from a businessman to bring in a BJP government in the state
May 2015 to October 2015: Kalikho Pul meets with BJP leaders in Arunachal. More Congress MLAs join the group of rebels including the Deputy Speaker
December 2015: A parallel sitting of the assembly is held in a building near the assembly (which is locked by the Tuki government) attended by 33 MLAs, removing the Speaker, and appointing another speaker. Kalikho Pul is named the new Chief Minister.
November, 2015: A notice for resolution for removal of the Deputy Speaker of the state Assembly is submitted by the MLAs of Congress November, 2015: BJP MLAs issued a notice for resolution for removal of the Speaker of the State Assembly December, 2015: The Governor, without consulting the Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers, issues an order under Article 174(1) of the Constitution of India advancing the 6th Session of the State Assembly to December 16, 2015 though the session was
December 2015: The Congress petitions the Guwahati High Court which puts the matter on hold till February, 2016. January, 2016: State leaders from the Congress come to Delhi to meet the party high command. The party says it has confidence in Tuki's leadership January 2016: President's Rule is imposed in Arunachal Pradesh
cmyk
ET Bureau New Delhi, Jan.24
Nabam Tuki Expresses Surprise and opposes Decision