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Arunachal CM loses trust vote

The 28-month-old regional Arunachal Congress party government, headed by Gegong Apang, lost the vote of confidence in the assembly today.

Governor Mata Prasad had rejected the recommendation of the state cabinet to dissolve the assembly and asked Apang to seek the vote of confidence in the house.

Earlier, Apang left the house after finishing his three-hour speech while moving the confidence motion.

Apang said he would proceed to Raj Bhavan to meet the governor. All his supporters, numbering 22, accompanied the chief minister.

Speaker Chowna Mein then put the motion to vote which was rejected by voice vote.

All the 36 legislators supporting Arunachal Congress-M leader Mukut Mithi were present during voting.

Chowna Mein later said as Apang had gone to meet the governor to tender his resignation, the confidence motion stands ''infructuous.''

When pressed by opposition leaders Mukut Mithi and L Wanglet, the speaker put the motion to voice vote and announced that the ''motion was not adopted'', and lost.

As soon as the governor's address was over, Planning Minister R K Khrimey raised a point of order and requested the speaker to adjourn the house till tomorrow.

He pointed out that the provisional calendar of the house was revised overnight which he termed as ''illegal and unparliamentary.'' He demanded that the revision of the business of the house be referred to the business advisory committee and the house remain adjourned.

Chowna Mein overruled the request and said the speaker had absolute power to revise the business of the house.

Apang also pressed for the adjournment. Unsatisfied with the speaker's ruling, Apang along with other treasury bench members walked out of the house.

In New Delhi, the Supreme Court today dismissed and withdrew a special leave petition filed by an Arunachal Congress party legislator challenging a Guwahati high court order refusing to stay the convening of the state assembly today for the floor test of the Apang ministry's majority.

A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice A S Anand, Justices M Srinivasan and N Santosh Hegde allowed the petition to be withdrawn on the request of senior counsel appearing for the petitioner, Rajiv Dhawan.

Earlier, Dhawan pointed out that the governor had convened the assembly without consulting the chief minister which was violative of constitutional provisions.

However, the court said the matter was already pending before the high court and it would not be appropriate for the court to intervene at this stage.

The court said even if everything went against the petitioner, it could be undone at a later stage by an appropriate forum.

Dhawan then pleaded that the petitioner should be permitted to withdraw the matter and bring to the notice of the high court the crux of the case.

The Arunachal Pradesh cabinet had recommended the dissolution of the state assembly on the ground that insurgent organisations were holding out threats to MLAs, ministers and public leaders creating a typical law and order situation in the state.

However, the governor, according to the petitioner, convened the assembly in view of large-scale dissident activity within the ruling Arunachal Congress party.

UNI

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