Guwahati: Dismissed Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Kalikho Pul on Thursday claimed that he was enjoying support of 43 MLAs in the House of 60 members and exuded confidence to regain power in the hill state by proving his majority in the floor of the Assembly.
He said Congress leader Nabam Tuki, who was reinstated as the state chief minister by a Supreme Court verdict on Wednesday, would not be able to win floor test in the House.
Addressing media here with more than 35 of his MLAs in attendance, Pul said, “I have the support of 30 MLAs of People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA), 11 of BJP and two Independents. The Congress (led by Tuki) has only 15 members in the House.
Two of the MLAs had been suspended earlier that makes the effective strength of House only 58 as on date.”
He maintained that the SC verdict had not directed that the party composition as on December 15 last should be resorted.
Pul and several MLAs of the then-ruling Congress had joined the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA), and had formed the government in February this year, with support of BJP MLAs and two Independents.
He claimed that the Governor had asked the Tuki government to prove its majority on July 16 next.
Pul further claimed that Tuki was himself calling MLAs for their support and said, “The possibility of the Congress trying to engage in horse trading cannot be ruled out. But we are an united house and will remain together.”
Pul maintained that the SC verdict did not restore Tuki as the chief minister but instead of going into legalities and dragging the matter, he will take on Tuki in the Floor of the House.
Giving his interpretation of the apex court judgement, Pul said the operative part of the verdict dealt with three points — quashing of preponing of Assembly session, message sent by the Governor to the Speaker in this regard and December 16-17 Assembly proceedings.
He maintained that the verdict only reinstated the old Speaker, who was removed in the December 16-17 preponed sittings of the Assembly and had no bearing on his taking over as the chief minister in February.
“But instead of dragging things into legal matters, we will prove our majority democratically in the floor of the House,” he said.
He asserted that the issue of disqualification of 14 Congress MLAs and change of party affiliation of 30 Congress MLAs to PPA were also not affected by the verdict.
