JOIN USPul claims he has backing of 42 MLAs
Hours after Acting Governor Tathagata Roy asked Congress Chief Minister Nabam Tuki to prove his government’s majority on July 16, former chief minister Kalikho Pul on Thursday paraded in front of the media 42 MLAs – 30 from PPA, 11 from BJP and 2 Independents – supporting him.
Pul claimed he is consulting legal experts on whether he can take the legal route to seek a review of the Supreme Court’s order, but his focus is more on the ensuing floor test as he claims the reinstated Tuki government is ‘minority’ in the Assembly.
“The disqualification and change of party affiliation of the 30 Congress MLAs to PPA were not issues before the Supreme court in the special leave petitions. So, these stand unaffected by the court order,”Pul said at a press conference.
“Moreover, the disqualification of the 14 MLAs has been quashed by the Gauhati High Court on April 1 and, subsequently, the Speaker of the Assembly on July 9 has quashed the same. We also do not fall under anti-defection law and thus none of the MLAs with us stands disqualified.
“We all are now PPA MLAs. Further, no petition of disqualification has been filed,” Pul said when asked whether they are now ‘Congress MLAs’ since the Supreme Court’s order actually rolls back the clock to a political situation in the state that was prevailing before December 15.
Pul, however, expressed his “surprise” over the Supreme Court’s observation that even for the removal of the Speaker, the governor should seek the advice of the Cabinet.
“I find no answers to my question that what happens when a Cabinet delays summoning of the session on the motion of impeachment of the Speaker even if the House is democratically demanding his removal,” said Pul.
The former chief minister also claimed there was “complete unity” among the MLAs supporting him. The Pul camp has decided to keep all its MLAs, including from the BJP, in Guwahati till the trust vote is over, to avoid ‘horse-trading’, sources added.