Asserting that the decision to impose President's rule in Uttarakhand was justified, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday asked the Congress to stop "false propaganda" against the Central Government and its leadership to "introspect" why its legislators are leaving the party.
Citing constitutional breakdown in the State, Naidu dismissed Opposition's criticism over the prorogation of the Budget session of Parliament and insisted that it was done to give finances to the State.
Naidu was also dismissive of the remark of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who said that the Modi Government wants to topple the AAP Government in Delhi.
"I saw the Delhi Chief Minister saying this that after Uttaranchal, then Himachal, then Delhi... They are trying to divert the attention of the people from their failures and then trying to put the blame on the Centre. The Centre has no role at all. These people, who are talking of murder of democracy, it is like shedding crocodile tears," he said.
Affirming that the Centre has no habit of pulling down any Government and it is "all false propaganda", Naidu blamed the internal crisis in Uttarakhand on Congress.
"If any party's MlAs fall out with the party how can one blame the Centre. It has become fashion to criticise the Centre for each and everything," Naidu said.
"The Congress leadership must introspect why its legislators are defecting. The Congress legislators are fast losing confidence in their leadership," said the Union Minister.
Congress has accused the Centre of having "murdered democracy" by imposing President's rule in Uttarakhand and not allowing floor test in the Assembly.
Brushing aside the charge, Naidu said, "Congress and its supporters dismissed 91 non-Congress Governments and now they are giving us sermons.
"It is the Congress party which has always encouraged defection and they have propounded a new theory, if others join them its affection, if people go out it, it is defection," Naidu said .
He reasoned out Government's decision to prorogue the Budget session of the Parliament and rejected criticism on this account.
"There is no logic in the criticism of the Opposition. A situation is created in a State where there is constitutional breakdown, the State could not get its Appropriation Bill passed. If the Appropriation Bill is not passed, the employees of the State will not get their salary from April 1 and the development of the State will come to a standstill.
"So it is the duty of the Government of India, as a custodian of the Constitution to take care of such a situation and you cannot do it, if lok Sabha is not prorouged. So we have proposed to prorogue the lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha," Naidu said. He hoped that all the Bills including enemy property Bill, Bankruptcy Bill and GST will be taken up in the coming session. The Enemy Property Bill which has been approved by lok Sabha has been referred to the Select Committee by Rajya Sabha.
