Harish Rawat expresses confidence of proving majority

Dehradun, May 9 (IANS) Ousted Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat on Monday expressed confidence that he would win the confidence motion on Tuesday in the state assembly.

"All the 34 MLAs whom we paraded to the governor are still with us," Rawat told reporters after the Supreme Court gave no relief to the nine rebel Congress MLAs seeking to vote during the floor test.

"It is the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) who should think from where they would get the rest of six MLAs to prove majority in the house," Rawat said, adding: "It (BJP) can only prove their majority by indulging in horse-trading activities."

He also claimed that his Congress party is fighting against the "undemocratic and communal forces" trying to "dismantle the elected government forcefully with unconstitutional means".

Rawat urged the BJP to not make it an ego issue and requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and his party members "to correct their mistake by making a fresh start".