Thank you SC for explaining democracy to PM Modi: Rahul Gandhi after Arunachal Pradesh verdict

Delivering a major blow to the BJP government at the Centre, the Supreme Court on Wednesday restored Congress government in Arunachal Pradesh after quashing the President’s Rule. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday thanked the Supreme Court for “explaining to the Prime Minister what democracy is”. Gandhi issued the statement after the apex court restored the ousted Congress government in Arunachal Pradesh.

The Supreme Court’s verdict, which came on Wednesday morning, will mean Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa’s December 2015 decision to advance the state assembly session by one month has been quashed. This will come as a major boost for Nabam Tuli, who has been restored as chief minister. [caption id=“attachment_2890958” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Rahul Gandhi. Reuters[/caption] In a unanimous judgment, a constitutional bench headed by Justice JS Khehar directed the restoration of the status quo as it existed on 15 December, 2015. The court also directed the manner in which the assembly proceedings had to be conducted and set aside all the steps and decisions the house had taken, describing them as unsustainable. Justices Dipak Misra and Madan B Lokur pronounced concurring judgments, also citing additional reasons to agree with Khehar. Chief minister Tuki was greatly relieved by the apex court’s decision and said justice has been done. “We have got justice from the Supreme Court. The top court has saved this country and its Constitution. The Supreme Court has given a historic verdict,” he said. Tuki added that this would help ensure democracy remains healthy in India. “This is a historic and remarkable judgment. According to the judgment, our government has been restored. I’ll go to the state and talk to all the 47 Congress MLAs. We will call a meeting,” he said. However, the BJP denied that it was a “setback” for the party. Speaking to the media, BJP national secretary Srikant Sharma said, “What happened in Arunachal Pradesh was due to internal conflicts. It’s wrong to hold BJP responsible for the problems in the Northeastern state.” With inputs from agencies