Guv asks Tuki to prove majority by Saturday

Arunachal CM keen on buying more time

A day after the Supreme Court restored the Nabam Tuki-led Congress government in Arunachal Pradesh, acting Governor Tathagata Roy on Thursday asked Tuki to prove majority on July 16.

But Tuki, who assumed office in Itanagar, is keen on buying more time as the apex court, in its order, has given a window of 15 days for the Congress government to prove majority.

On the other hand, Kalikho Pul, the dismissed chief minister, paraded in front of the media 43 MLAs (including himself)  supporting him at a hotel in Guwahati, and claimed Tuki will lose the floor test.

Both Tuki and Governor Roy reached Itanagar on Thursday afternoon. Tuki proceeded to the chief minister’s office and “resumed” office.

Later, he held a meeting with 15 loyalist MLAs at the Congress headquarters.The governor has asked the chief minister to prove his majority in the House not later than July 16.

“In obedience of the Supreme Court judgment dated July 13, 2016, Governor of Arunachal Pradesh Tathagata Roy has informed Shri Nabam Tuki that he stands reinstated as the chief minister of the state on and with effect from that date,” a statement from the governor’s office stated.

The governor also desires that in order to ensure that the proceedings of the Assembly may take place peacefully and otherwise appropriately, the same shall be fully videographed and the majority, as aforesaid, proved by division and not by a voice vote.

A note to this effect has been sent to the secretary of the Legislative Assembly, official sources said.

“The governor emphasised that the conduct of the proceedings, including the videography, in the House shall strictly follow the principles laid down by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in its order dated May 6, 2016, in the matter pertaining to the issue of imposition of President’s Rule in the state of Uttarakhand (SLP C 11567/2016) Union of India Vs Harish Chandra Singh Rawat,” the statement from the governor’s office added.

Meanwhile, MLA Bamang Felix, a Tuki supporter, told DH over the phone from Itanagar, “We are in touch with a lot of MLAs who are with Pul. We will iron out the differences and make sure we win the trust vote and run a Congress government in the state.”

Speaker Nabam Rebia said the Assembly needs at least 10 to 15 days to summon a session. “I have received the governor’s order asking the state government to go for a floor test on July 16, which is practically impossible keeping in mind the uneven topography and inclement weather, besides the communication bottlenecks in the state,” he told reporters in Itanagar.

According to sources in Tuki’s camp, the chief minister and the Congress high command are trying to reach out to the MLAs in Pul’s camp and they have got ‘feelers’ from a few as well.

“But till now, we do not have a sizeable number of MLAs with us. We are desperately trying to bring them back since they have been brainwashed by the BJP. We will try till the morning of the trust vote,” said a young MLA in Tuki camp, on the condition of anonymity.

Sources also indicated that if Tuki is not able to garner a majority before the trust vote, he might not take the floor test and step down as chief minister.