Union Cabinet met in New Delhi on Saturday night to consider the situation in Uttarakhand amidst speculation that it may consider the option of President's Rule in the state.
The Cabinet met soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned from Assam.
Sources closed to the developments said that no decision has been taken on the President's rule. Sources also said that the cabinet took a stock of situation in the state and discussed purported sting operation against Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat.
However, in a late night development, the Uttarakhand speaker has disqualified nine Congress rebel MLAs which may pave the way for Rawat to scrape through the floor test with 27 MLAs of the Congress and six of ruling ally Progressive Democratic Front after members of the House reduced from 70 to 61.
Ahead of the cabinet meet, a BJP delegation met President Pranab Mukherjee and demanded President's Rule in the state, saying Rawat has no right to continue after a sting operation purportedly showed him bargaining with rebel party MLAs to win their support ahead of floor test on March 28.
BJP's memorandum to the President was also critical of state Governor K K Paul, saying he "did not act on the request of the majority of the legislature to dismiss the state government and on the contrary granted 10 days time" to Rawat to prove his majority.
The rebel Congress MLAs had alleged that they were offered bribe by the chief minister for support during the floor test and released a video of a "sting" operation purportedly showing the CM, who called it "fake".
Meanwhile, the Congress alleged that the "dirty tricks department" of BJP president Amit Shah is at work, while the saffron outfit demanded "immediate dismissal" of the Rawat government.
At an emergency press conference at Congress headquarters, party general secretary Ambika Soni came down hard on the Narendra Modi government and the BJP, accusing them of destabilizing the Harish Rawat dispensation in the state.
She said that the BJP was desperate to dislodge the Congress government in Uttarakhand through imposition of President's rule despite there being no Constitutional crisis.
"What is happening is the last chapter in the drama after the rebels and the BJP failed to get any relief from the high court," Soni told reporters.
This is a "mockery of democracy" when the democratic process has been set in motion and the chief minister is set to prove his majority on Monday, she said.
"Our worry is that Constitutional process started by the Governor was being interfered," she said, claiming the Harish Rawat government enjoyed a majority in the House which he was ready to prove on March 28.
Soni insisted the Speaker is fully empowered to look into the "defection situation" and no one can interfere in that.
