The Hindu : President's rule will not be imposed in Gujarat: BJP

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 04, 2002

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National

President's rule will not be imposed in Gujarat: BJP

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI SEPT. 3. After the Supreme Court's ruling refusing to interfere with the Election Commission's decision of holding Assembly polls in Gujarat in November-December, the Bharatiya Janata Party today claimed that there was no possibility of President's rule being imposed in Gujarat.

Talking to presspersons here, the BJP general secretary and spokesman, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, claimed that Gujarat would not come under the spell of President's rule.

Asked what could be the possible scenario after October 6 when the six-month period since the last sitting of Assembly would come to an end, he said that even after that there would not be President's rule in the State.

Mr. Naqvi said the Government would await the Supreme Court's advice on interpretation of Article 174 of the Constitution which stipulates that there should not be a gap of more than six months between two Assembly sessions.

He did not offer say anything when asked if he was deriving his assumption from the view that Narendra Modi could continue as caretaker Chief Minister even after October 6 and that there would be no need to invoke Article 356.

Referring to postponement of "gaurav rath yatra" in the State, the BJP spokesman blamed the Congress for trying to tear apart the social fabric by portraying a normal political campaign as one that hurt secularism. Though conceding that the "gaurav yatra" was put off because of the apprehension of a confrontation, Mr. Naqvi said the `yatra' had become a victim of false propaganda.

On Jammu and Kashmir, Mr. Naqvi said that no useful purpose would be served by talking to separatist organisations dancing to Pakistan's tunes.

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