Badal opposes proposed President rule in U.P

Chandigarh, Feb 19 (UNI) Shiromani Akali Dal President Parkash Singh Badal strongly opposed the proposed move of the UPA Government to impose President's Rule in Uttar Pradesh to after dismissing the democratically-elected Mulayam Singh Yadav government by misusing the article 356.

In a statement issued here, Mr Badal said that the best forum to prove majority was the floor of the state assembly and if there was any doubt about the majority of the government, then an urgent session of the assembly should be convened. ''But the Centre should desist from dismissing the state government merely on the report of the Governor,'' Mr Badal stressed.

Lambasting the Congress party for its anti-democratic actions, Mr Badal said that in the past also, the Congress party has misused Article 356 to dismiss state governments, run by regional parties opposed to it, including the SAD government. He vowed to oppose all such ''anti-democratic'' Congress moves.

UNI