NEW DELHI: The United Front Government does not favor abrogation of Article 356 of the Constitution which empowers the Center to dismiss state governments but wants enactment of legislation to check its misuse. Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha and External Affairs Minister, I.K. Gujral made these observations while replying to supplementaries.
He was replying to a pointed question from Congress member Vyalar Ravi, who recalled that the entire Opposition had welcomed the move of the then Congress Government to dismiss the BJP ruled state governments in Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan after the demolition of the Babri Masjid. He said the Center should have powers to protect life and property of the citizens and hence, abrogation of Article 356 was not appropriate. Replying to another question on how soon the Sarkaria Commission’s recommendations would be implemented, Gujral assured, “Our disposal of the issue will be speedy.” Responding to a pointed question from former Home Minister S.B. Chavan on whether the government would go through the Sarkaria Commission’s’ afresh, Gujral said the United Front Government had no such proposal and would continue the work of the previous government. “We will build on whatever has been already built,” Earlier, Chayan said the subcommittee of the interstate council had completed 95% work of whetting the Sarkaria Commission’s recommendations.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 24, 1996
