Still in majority, ready to prove it on floor: Harish Rawat

Dehradun, March 19: Accusing BJP of misrepresenting facts, Chief Minister Harish Rawat today claimed he still enjoys a majority in the Uttarakhand Assembly and was ready to prove it on the floor of the House.

"Those who are saying they have support of 35 MLAs are misrepresenting facts.I am confident that I still have a majority in the Assembly and can prove it on the floor of the House," he told reporters after emerging from a meeting with Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal.

On BJP's claims that it had the support of 35 MLAs including nine rebel Congress MLAs, Rawat said at least five of those MLAs were still in touch with him.

"They have said they are still with the party and continue to be members of the Congress Legislature Party," he said.

Commenting on what transpired at his meeting with the Speaker, the Chief Minister said he had gone to him to tender an apology as the Leader of the House for the "unparliamentary conduct of some party MLAs", who rushed into the well after adjournment of the day's proceedings and sat on a dharna along with BJP MLAs there.

Admitting that Congress MLAs had flouted the party whip by sitting on a dharna along with opposition members, he said they were liable to be acted against in accordance with the Constitutional provisions. Rawat also claimed that the so called "disgruntled MLAs" were still in touch with him and continued to be members of the Congress Legislature Party.

The Chief Minister said he was hurt by the behaviour of rebel party MLAs including Harak Singh Rawat and Vijay Bahuguna. "As fas as Harak Singh is concerned, the less said the better. He is such a star of Uttarakhand's political firmament.

If one or two more such wrestlers are born in the state, Uttarakhand of our dreams will never become a reality," he said.

Rawat said he was shocked by Bahuguna's conduct in the House yesterday as he came from a family which always fought against communal forces. "Coming as it did from the son of Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna who always fought for secular values and stood against communal forces, Bahugunaji's behaviour was no less shocking," the Chief Minister said.

PTI