The rebel faction from the ruling Congress party in Uttarakhand said on Saturday that they will go to the Supreme Court in case they are disqualified, hours before a series of late night developments in Delhi and Dehradun culminated in the Speaker beginning the process to disqualify them.
The Congress MLAs are confident of getting their disqualification stayed from the SC on Monday morning.
The rebels said that they will petition the SC saying that they never acted against their party but were opposed to chief minister Harish Rawat.
“We are free to take any legal recourse and option of Supreme Court is always there... if Speaker orders our disqualification we will seek justice from Supreme Court with hope that the apex court of the country will hear our pleading,” said a rebel party MLA Amrita Rawat.
Vijay Bahuguna, the face of the rebellion in the Congress in Uttarakhand, challenged the state assembly Speaker to expel him for the “right reasons”.
He argued that his dismissal will expose the Congress-led state government’s minority status.
“If I am expelled for voting against my own government’s budget in the House, it will also show that the budget was never passed. And in that case, Rawat has to resign,” Bahuguna said, trying to put the Speaker and Rawat in a fix.
{{/usCountry}}“If I am expelled for voting against my own government’s budget in the House, it will also show that the budget was never passed. And in that case, Rawat has to resign,” Bahuguna said, trying to put the Speaker and Rawat in a fix.
{{/usCountry}}According to sources from the chief minister’s office and the party, the Congress was initially considering getting the disqualification order issued by late Sunday evening. The government can potentially prove a majority with the help of four independents if the floor test goes through and the disqualification is not stayed.