The Centre on Wednesday recommended that President's rule be imposed in Nagaland, said Home Ministry sources.

The papers were sent to the President, who is at present in Hyderabad, the sources said.

They said Patil was considering the recommendation, which was made at an unscheduled Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [Images], on Tuesday.

The Cabinet meeting was convened at a short notice to discuss the fluid political situation in Nagaland, where the Bharatiya Janata Party-backed Democratic Alliance of Nagaland is in power.The Union Cabinet on Wednesday imposed President's rule in Nagaland.

Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy accused the United Progressive Alliance government of imposing President's rule in Nagaland a fortnight before the Election Commission is expected to announce the election schedule.

Rudy accused the Congress of bringing their government down through the backdoor.

Rudy said it is the first time a state that is about to go to polls comes under President's rule.

"This is being done to manipulate and influence the forthcoming elections where the Congress is in disarray," he said.

He also said the Congress government in Goa [Images] too needed to go if the UPA's logic to impose President's rule in Nagaland is extended.

Strongly reacting to reports that his state was heading for President's rule, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said, "Such a move will be illegal and unconstitutional as I have come to power only after being elected democratically and my government has won the trust vote in Nagaland assembly on December 13."

Rio survived a controversial no-confidence motion in the assembly on December 13. The motion was defeated 23-19 in the 60-member House after the speaker barred three independents from taking part in the voting and held that the votes of nine dissidents were invalid.

An angry Rio told PTI over the phone from Kohima that the Congress does not want to face the people of Nagaland, which goes to polls next month.

"The Congress wants to disrupt the election. If they impose President's Rule and dismiss my democratically-elected government, it would be nothing but murder of democracy," the chief minister said.

The nine dissident legislators had sided with opposition Congress which demanded immediate dismissal of the DAN government. The BJP, however, strongly opposed any such move.

The saffron party has alleged defections and resignations of legislators were being mustered to topple the Rio government. 

Congress MLAs from Nagaland had met the President in Kohima on December 23 and demanded dismissal of the state government, claiming it had lost the vote of confidence.

With inputs from PTI