Updated

Dehradun, Mar 27 (PTI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat today condemned the imposition of President's rule in the state as a "murder" of democracy and the Constitution and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's hands were dipped in the "blood" of the "trampled" aspirations of the people.

Alleging that central rule was a result of a "premeditated conspiracy" hatched by the Centre to dislodge a democratically elected Congress government in the state, Rawat also said the BJP was "thirsty for his blood" right from the day he assumed office on February one, 2014 and did not want his government to stabilise.

"It is a murder of democracy and the Constitution. Modi's hands are dipped in the blood of the trampled aspirations of the people of Uttarakhand," Rawat said at his first news conference here after the imposition of President's rule capping the ten-day long political upheaval in Uttarakhand after nine Congress rebels raised a banner of revolt against him and supported BJP.

"What has happened is the result of a premeditated conspiracy hatched by the Centre to dislodge a democratically elected Congress government in the state," he alleged, adding there was a "propaganda blast" against him by raking up issues relating to alleged corruption.

Claiming that he had clear majority in the state assembly, Rawat said it was part of a conspiracy by the BJP to impose president's rule even before giving the state government a chance to go for a floor test in the House.

The four-year-old Congress government was slated to go for floor test in the state assembly tomorrow.

Rawat alleged that there was a money deal to lure the Congress rebels, adding "some people say it is Rs 1,000 crore, some say Rs 500 crore".

He said BJP had decided not to let his government stabilise from the day he took over and "slashed my head" as the first opportunity presented itself.

"The way we were being given repeated threats since yesterday, the way the governor was publicly issued a threat at a press conference in Delhi it was clear things were moving towards this eventuality. That BJP was thirsty for my blood was clear from day one. They had decided at the very outset that they won't let Harish Rawat government stabilise," he added.

Accusing the Centre of always being step-motherly in its treatment of Uttarakhand as it was a Congress governed state, Rawat claimed it did not release money for reconstruction in Kedarnath and Ardhkumbh forcing a disaster-hit state to manage its affairs out of its own limited resources.

"What has happened in Uttarakhand is also the murder of Baba Sahab Bhimrao Ambedkar's vision on the Constitution maker's 125th birth anniversary year.

Before the Central rule was imposed, Rawat accused BJP of attacking democracy with money and muscle power to dislodge his four-year-old Congress government.

Earlier Update

President's rule imposed in Uttarakhand

Mar 27 (PTI): Uttarakhand was today brought under President's rule by the Centre on grounds of "breakdown of governance" in a controversial decision which comes in the wake of a political crisis triggered by a rebellion in the ruling Congress.

President Pranab Mukherjee signed the proclamation under Art 356 of the Constitution dismissing the Congress government headed by Harish Rawat and placing the Assembly under suspended animation this morning on the recommendation of the Union Cabinet.

The Cabinet had held an emergency meeting here last night presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had cut short a visit to Assam to return to the capital for the purpose.

The Cabinet considered several reports received from Governor K K Paul, who had described the political situation as volatile and expressed apprehensions over possible pandemonium during the scheduled trial of strength in the state Assembly tomorrow.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is believed to have briefed the President late last night explaining the rationale for the Cabinet's recommendation.

The dismissal of the Rawat government now renders tomorrow's confidence vote infructuous.

It also came amidst reports that Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal had disqualified 9 rebel Congress MLAs that would have enabled Rawat to sail through in the trust vote.

The Congress denounced the decision calling it a "murder of democracy" and said it showed that BJP did not believe in democracy.

The political crisis in the state arose after the controversial circumstances in which the Appropriation Bill was declared passed in the Assembly by the Speaker with the BJP and the rebel Congress claiming that a division of votes pressed by them was not allowed.

They alleged that the Bill was defeated in the voice vote by a majority of the members present but the Speaker did not test it in a proper division of votes.

The opposition claimed that it had a majority of 35 MLAs, including 9 rebels, in the House that day out of 67 MLAs present. The BJP said the 35 MLAs had written to the Speaker in advance that they would be voting against the bill but the Speaker had refused to take it into his consideration.

Last night, the Union Cabinet met amidst reports that the Speaker had disqualified the rebel Congress MLAs that would would have helped the beleaguered government.

Apprehending imposition of President's rule, the Congress had attacked the BJP saying it was resorting to the extreme step as its earlier moves had failed.

Earlier:

Rawat attacks BJP over 'President's Rule threat'; Sec 144 in Dehradun

Dehradun, Mar 27 (HT): Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat on Sunday accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of threatening to impose President’s Rule in the state “in its arrogance”.

“I condemn this threat by the BJP,” he said at a press briefing.

“The demand to remove the Governor is completely condemnable,” Rawat said. “We have decided that we will take this issue to the public... My DNA is the DNA of the people, it is not an imported DNA like others,” he added.

“If it’s an internal problem of Congress, then why were the big brass of RSS and BJP here on 17th & 18th,” Rawat said.

Meanwhile, a day ahead of the trust vote for the Rawat government, the district administration imposed Section 144 in Dehradun to prevent potential flare-ups between rival political groups.

Advocates of the rebel legislators met speaker Govind Kunjwal at his Vidhan Sabha office in the morning. Kunjwal may soon arrive at a formal decision on disqualifying nine Congress legislators, who joined hands with BJP MLAs over the last few weeks to attempt taking down the state government.

Sources, however, said that the decision to disqualify the rebels has already been taken in principle.

In a notice served by the speaker last Sunday, the rebel MLAs were asked to explain why they had violated the party whip and shouted slogans against the government with BJP legislators on March 18.

After the rebels are disqualified, the strength of the house will come down from 70 to 61. In this situation, the Congress may be able to cobble up a majority with the support of independents and fringe parties.

Ambika Soni, Congress general secretary and in-charge for party affairs in Uttarakhand, is expected to reach Dehradun by Sunday noon. State Congress chief Kishor Upadhyay, who is also in New Delhi, is likely to come with Soni.

Sources in the BJP said that 27 of its legislators will also reach the state capital from Jaipur by noon. The Congress, which has housed the party legislators and independents in a resort near Corbett, may bring them here by Monday morning.

Eight of the nine rebels will reach by Sunday night, and security has been tightened around their residences.

Opposition leader Ajay Bhatt told a local TV channel on Sunday morning that the “speaker was biased against the Congress rebel legislators, and was acting against constitutional norms”.

Section 144 of the CrPC empowers a magistrate to prohibit more than 10 people from gathering in an area.