Parliament approves President's Rule in Jharkhand

Amid opposition uproar over price rise, Parliament approved imposition of President's Rule in Jharkhand without any debate on Thursday.

As opposition members stormed the well in the Lok Sabha and raised vociferous slogans in the Rajya Sabha, a statutory resolution approving the central rule was put to vote and adopted by voice vote in both Houses.

In the Rajya Sabha, the resolution was moved by Minister of State for Home Mulapally Ramachandran and passed without discussion amid uproar over price rise.

Similar scenes were witnessed in the Lok Sabha where members of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance and the Samajwadi Party stormed the well raising slogans, when Minister of State for Home Ajay Maken placed the resolution for vote. The measure was adopted by a voice vote amidst the din.

Jharkhand came under Central rule on June 1 this year after the Congress and the BJP gave up efforts to form an alternative government following resignation of Chief Minister Shibu Soren. The assembly has been kept in suspended animation.

The Congress and the BJP had both indicated their inability to form an alternative government in the state after the Soren government was reduced to a minority on May 24.

The BJP, with 18 Members of the Legislative Assembly and Janata Dal (United) with two, withdrew support to the government after Soren voted against the cut motions sponsored by the opposition in Lok Sabha on April 27.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, with 18 MLAs and having the support of seven others, was short of the required 42 MLAs in the 81-member House.

Congress, with a strength of 14, and its ally the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) with 11 members, had said it did not have the numbers to stake claim to form a government.

Jharkhand has seen seven chief ministers since its creation on November 15, 2000.