Ousted Arunachal CM welcomes SC verdict, to hold meeting with MLAs

NEW DELHI: Hailing the Supreme Court's move to restore the Congress Government in Arunachal Pradesh as "historic and remarkable", ousted Congress chief minister Nabam Tuki on Wednesday said that he would summon a meeting with all the 47 members to chalk out the future course of action. "We were hopeful since the beginning that we will get justice from the SC. We have got justice from the SC. The court today saved this country and the Constitution. Our expectations have been fulfilled. It is a historic and remarkable judgment, which was expected by the people of country," said Tuki, whose government was dismissed following days of turmoil after 21 of its 47 lawmakers rebelled against him. "I will go back to the state and will talk to the party members. We will summon a meeting with all the 47 members. Things will be decided accordingly and we will do whatever is required legally," Tuki said while taking about his next course of action. He, however, said that he was yet to receive a detail copy of the judgment. "The SC has quashed all the notifications issued by the Governor on December 9 and has also restored status quo as on December 15 when Tuki was the chief minister," Vivek Tankha, the lawyer appearing for the Congress Party, told the media. "Pursing which the assembly was convened on July 16 to remove Speaker Wangki Lowang and subsequently on July 17 to pass a no confidence motion," he added. Earlier in the day, the apex court quashed "message and direction" issued by Arunachal Pradesh Governor J.P. Rajkhowa and restored status quo as on December 15 when Tuki was the chief minister. The Congress, which had 47 MLAs seats in the 60-member assembly, suffered a jolt when 21 of its lawmakers rebelled. Eleven BJP MLAs backed the rebels in the bid to upstage the government. Later, 14 rebel Congress MLAs were disqualified. The leader of the dissident faction, Kalikho Pul, was sworn-in as the chief minister on February 19 with the support of the 20 Congress rebels and 11 legislators of the BJP.