President Pranab Mukherjee did not have much of a choice. The political mess in Arunachal Pradesh was not of his making; but it was his duty to sort it out or create conditions for its resolution, and in the present circumstances President’s Rule seemed like the best possible option. The spell will give both the Congress and BJP in the state a chance to step back and think. Nothing works quicker than having the rug suddenly pulled from under one’s feet. The crisis was precipitated by a split in the Congress which had 47 MLAs. In such a situation, the best place for a trial of strength is the Assembly. So the Governor called a session but the Speaker refused to convene it. With 21 Congress MLAs opposed to Chief Minister Nabam Tuki the stage was set for a showdown. The Congress had protested against the decision of the Centre to impose President’s Rule, but then what was the option available to the Centre? The Assembly could not be convened. The Arunachal Pradesh government has lost its majority and the State was going through political turmoil. The President had very little room for manoeuvre and since good sense failed to prevail, a brief spell of Central Rule seemed like the right prescription.
