President's rule imposed in Meghalaya, Sangma protests

New Delhi, Mar 19 (ANI): A day after the Central Government's recommendation for President's rule in Meghalaya, President Pratibha Devisingh Patil placed the State Assembly under suspended animation.

"The President has signed the proclamation for imposing Central rule in Meghalaya," a Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson said.

The Union Cabinet announced the decision after receiving a report from Meghalaya Governor R S Mooshahary about the constitutional machinery breaking down in Meghalaya.

Protesting against the imposition of President's rule in the state, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Chairman of State Planning Board P A Sangma warned that he would move the Supreme Court on the issue.

Terming the Union Cabinet's decision as "unwarranted" and "unprecedented", Sangma said, "The decision is not as per the Constitution and the Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA) Government had won the confidence vote on the floor of the Assembly. There was no manipulation and everything was according to law."

The NCP Government in Meghalaya was degraded to a minority on March 11 after two MLAs from the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) Limison Sangma and Ismail R Marak withdrew their support.

Aided by Speaker B M Lanong who invalidated the votes of four rebel members ignoring the Governor's directive and exercised his casting vote to break a tie, the MPA Government narrowly survived a trust vote in the State Assembly on March 17. (ANI)