BJP, Cong set for trial of strength NT Staff Reporter Panaji Jan 30: The state was headed for a trial of strength in the legislative assembly to test the majority of the Parrikar government.
The Governor, Mr S C Jamir was quoted by a TV channel to have said: “Now that the government has been reduced to a minority, ... I now propose to test on the floor of the House. That is the only way that I can ascertain... without delay.” Mr Jamir further said, “Since four members of BJP have resigned and other constituents of the government, they have also resigned from there, so I have to see which one is the majority and after that I shall take the constitutional measures to test on the floor of the House.” The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party camp insisted on the trial of strength in the House while the Congress pressed for dismissal of the Parrikar government on the plea that it is reduced to minority. The Chief Minister, Mr Manohar Parrikar, who called on the Governor late last night, said that he had informed the Governor of his preparedness to prove the majority on the floor of the House and that the Governor had agreed to it. On the other hand, the Congress-combine has strongly opposed giving time to the Parrikar government to prove majority on the floor of the House and demanded that the Governor should invoke Article 160-1 and sack the Parrikar government. Congress leaders — the South Goa MP, Mr Churchill Alemao; the Goa pradesh Congress committee president, Mr Luizinho Faleiro — along with the leaders of the United Goans Democratic Party and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party claimed that the Congress-combine has a support of 19 MLAs, and stated that the BJP government has been reduced to minority and this was sufficient ground for the Governor to dismiss the government. The Tourism Minister, Mr Mathany Saldanha, who is arriving in Goa tomorrow from Spain, is at the centre of confusion as both —Congress-combine and the BJP — are claiming his support. Though sources in the BJP has said that Mr Saldanha has arrived in Mumbai, the UGDP senior vice-president, Mr Radharao Gracias informed that Mr Saldanha, the UGDP MLA, will reach Goa tomorrow. Though the AICC general-secretary incharge of Goa desk, Ms Margarette Alva told reporters that she would arrive in Goa today, but the Congress camp said she had not arrived. The BJP camp claimed that the enthusiasm in the Congress camp has died down and that some of the party leaders had re-established their contact in the rival camp. The leaders of the Congress combine — Dr Wilfred de Souza of the Nationalist Congress Party, the GPCC chief, the MGP president, Mr Pandurang Raut, UGDP’s Mr Radharao Gracias late this evening called on the Governor and submitted a memorandum demanding dismissal of the Parrikar government. The Congress combine has also shifted its base from a five-star hotel to former minister, Mr Atanacio Monserrate’s residence at Taleigao. Mr Parrikar today sent a letter to the Governor recording his discussion with him the evening of January 29. The letter reads, “After informing the Governor about the events which are alleged to have taken place and the possibility of the state government having suffered loss of majority, I emphatically stated before your Excellency that even though the strength of the legislative assembly has been reduced to thirty-seven members, I and my government still command majority in the House and that I would like to prove the same on the floor of the House in accordance with the judgment of the Honorable Supreme Court in S R Bommai Case and Jagdambika Pal Case.” The letter also puts on record, “Your Excellency was good enough to accept that I need to prove my majority on the floor of the House. By this letter, in view of the impending pressure which is likely to be mounted and in view of the attempt being made by the Indian National Congress party to pressurise exploiting the fact that the Congress party enjoys power at central government level, I wish to reiterate, affirm and confirm to your Excellency that I am eager to prove my majority strength on the floor of the Goa legislative assembly, once convened by your Excellency and the Honorable Speaker.” PTI adds: Defending action against “corrupt” ministers, senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Mr Murli Manohar Joshi today said the Goa Chief Minister would “manage” to prove majority on the floor of the House and some MLAs from the other side may support the BJP-led government. “A flock of MLAs from other side might join Parrikar, but in the backdrop of crisis in Goa, Governor S C Jamir’s role is dubious,” Mr Joshi told reporters in Jaipur. “Parrikar is hard, honest and serious politician and could not see his ministers going beyond the limit of corruption and it is necessary to curb such act in the government,” Mr Joshi told a press conference here. In my opinion it was not the question of “right or wrong” but a matter of corruption which was intolerable for any BJP government, he said. “The sacked ministers or MLAs who quit the party might find such a ground to continue corrupt practices in other political parties,” the former human resource development minister said. On assembly elections in three states, Mr Joshi said the BJP would recapture Jharkhand, uproot Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav’s hold in Bihar by supporting Mr Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal-United, and in Haryana it was a close contest among all parties.
