Congress leaders meet President

Urge Mukherjee not to withdraw prez rule

The Congress has requested President Pranab Mukherjee not to accept any proposal of the Centre for withdrawal of President’s Rule in Arunachal Pradesh.

In a memorandum submitted to Mukherjee on Tuesday evening, the party said that it had learnt from the “reliable sources” that the Union Home Ministry was gearing up to recommend withdrawal of President’s Rule in the state.

“I humbly request you not to take into consideration any such recommendation from the Ministry of Home Affairs as the modus operandi to withdraw the Proclamation is primarily to render the proceedings pending before the Supreme Court infructuous,” the party said. 

This comes after the Supreme Court, earlier in the day, refused to pass an interim order on a plea of Congress leaders that Arunachal Pradesh governor J P Rakhowa be restrained from inviting parties to form a new government in the state.

A delegation of Congress leaders by Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad called on the President and submitted the memorandum on behalf of the party. Azad was accompanied by senior Congress leaders Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal and V Narayanswamy who had signed the memorandum.

“It has been learnt from reliable sources that the Ministry of Home Affairs is likely to place a report before you (for) withdrawal of the proclamation, dated January 26, 2016, issued under Article 356 of the Constitution of India imposing President’s Rule in the state of Arunachal Pradesh,” the party said.