Cong stakes claim to form govt NT Staff Reporter Panaji Jan 31: Reiterating its claim of a majority in the assembly, the newly-formed Congress-led United Legislature Party today afternoon handed over a letter to the Governor Mr S C Jamir, officially staking its claim to form the government in Goa.
The letter was handed by the leader of the Congress legislature party, Mr Pratapsing Rane who was accompanied by the Goa pradesh Congress committee chief, Mr Luizinho Faleiro and Mr Dayanand Narvekar. The Congress also filed no-confidence motions against the Speaker, Mr Viswas Satarkar and the Deputy Speaker, Mr Narahari Haldankar and are likely to file a disqualification petition against the MLA of the United Goans Democratic Party, Mr Mathany Saldanha for declaring his support to the Bharatiya Janata Party in violation of his party’s wishes. Mr Faleiro told a crowded press conference today evening that the Congress-combine had urged the Governor to dismiss the BJP government and they would prove their majority in the assembly as soon as he invited them to form the government. In a separate press conference, the Goa Nationalist Congress Party president, Dr Wilfred de Souza, who is part of the Congress-combine, also reiterated that the combine, now under the ULP banner, enjoyed a majority in the House, even with UGDP MLA, Mr Saldanha in the BJP fold. The numbers given by the ULP are these; Congress-15, MGP (Ramkrishna Dhavlikar)-1, NCP (Dr de Souza)-1 and Independent (Filip Neri Rodrigues)-1 adding upto 18. The resignation from the assembly of Mr Pandurang Madkaikar, held back by the Speaker, was accepted today morning. On the other hand, the BJP strength of 21 has been reduced to 17 with the resignations of four BJP MLAs. From these 17, the Speaker has no voting rights in the House and hence the BJP strength is 16, the ULP claimed. Citing this argument, the ULP leaders have urged the Governor to dismiss the BJP government under the Article 164 of the Constitution and invite them to form the government. Both, Mr Faleiro and Dr de Souza said there were various occasions when previous Governors had dismissed governments in Goa to install new ones. Dr de Souza gave the example of former governors, Mr Bhanu Prakash Singh in May 1994 and General (retd) J F R Jacob in July 1998. The ULP has strongly protested today’s BJP cabinet resolution urging the Governor to summon the assembly for a floor-test on January 3. “The government has lost its majority. It has no right of business to pass any resolution,” Mr Faleiro said. Dr de Souza also objected to the date saying a depleted cabinet cannot pass such a resolution. “No cabinet, even if full, could have taken this decision. It is the Governor’s prerogative,” Dr de Souza observed. On the disqualification petition against the Independent MLA, Mr Rodrigues, filed by BJP legislator, Mr Rajesh Patnekar, Dr de Souza said an Independent MLA cannot be disqualified. Among other things, the procedure for disqualification involves a prior notice-period of seven days and a chance to reply, he said. Did Mr Saldanha’s decision to support the BJP pose a setback to the ULP? “Mathany or no Mathany makes no difference. The Speaker is not part of the legislature and they got only 16,” Mr Faleiro shot back. Dr de Souza read out an extract (section 2B of the 10th Schedule) of the Constitution which said that a member of the House of any political party shall be disqualified from being member of the House if a) he voluntary gives up his membership or b) he votes or abstains contrary to any direction issued by the political party to which he belongs or any person authorised by the party. All eyes are now focussed on Raj Bhavan awaiting a decision by the Governor.
