No midnight promulgation of Prez rule in UP: CPI(M)

New Delhi, Feb 18 (UNI) Raising pitch for a constitutional amendment to Article 356 in the wake of Supreme Court ruling disqualifying 13 BSP MLAs, CPI(M) today opposed the UPA government move to impose President's Rule in UP while reminding the Centre that the issue cannot be decided neither by the Raj Bhawan nor by Delhi.

" We are against the midnight promulgation of President's rule in UP.. We hope that wiser counsel will prevail on the Manmohan Singh government and it will not indulge in the misuse of the Article 356 and let the people themselves decide in the Assembly polls only two months away," said Party General Secretary Prakash Karat at the conclusion of the party two-day Polit Bureau meet here.

Briefing mediapersons, Mr Karat gave a detailed account of how the" draconian law" had been overwhelmingly misused. " Even in the UPA government there are two victims of the Article- the DMK and the RJD." When specifically asked about UP related questions, he sought to impress upon the media that it is good that the UPA government is holding consultations, hoping that the government will not do any thing without their prior knowledge.

Citing several instances, the CPI(M) leader said the Article had been enforced at least 110 to 120 times. This included the first dismissal of the E M S Namboodripad government in Kerala and the dismissal of the DMK government by Chandra Shekhar government in 1991. Even the Vajpayee government sought to enforce the Article in Bihar but could not do so because it could not be passed in the Rajya Sabha.

Referring to the other parties demand for" totally scrapping the Article," Mr Karat said his party wanted certain modifications in the Article to ensure safeguards against its misuse.

To a specific question, he said," we may have political differences with a certain political party and these may be rightly so.. but as far as the imposition of the President's rule is concerned, the Left's position and many of the national and regional parties' position is categorically clear that the majority or the minority of the government has to be tested on the floor of the House." When asked by UNI about how the Congress was to gain by clamping President's Rule in UP, Mr Karat retorted ," you better ask the Congress," but agreed that the question had substance.

To another question, the CPI(M) leader said the Polit Bureau did not " review" its relations with the UPA government.

UNI