Congress leaders and senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Vivek Tankha wrote to President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday asking him to intervene and persuade Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan pass the Vote on Account in the Assembly and form his Council of Ministers.
The Congress leaders objected to an ordinance being brought by the Chouhan government for the Vote on Account. “There is little scope for departure of settled constitutional practices. Articles 202 to 206 provide for procedures to be followed in dealing with finances of the State. The Constitution like the Magna Carta is the Gita of the rules of Financial Business,” Mr Tankha and Mr Sibal said in their letter.
“It is a matter of constitutional shame that Madhya Pradesh holds the dubious record of functioning without a government. That too for the longest time in our constitutional history,” they added.
The leaders urged President Kovind to intervene “to ensure that the State of Madhya Pradesh is directed to (1) constitute a council of ministers, (2) to consider and pass the Vote-On-Account by following settled constitutional procedures and (3) withdraw the unconstitutional ordinances.”
On April 11, Mr. Tankha had written to the President asking him to impose President’s Rule if Mr Chouhan was unable to expand his Cabinet.
