SPEAKER, DEPUTY SPEAKER RESIGN IN GOA
From Frederick Noronha
Goanet.org
PANAJI (Goa), Feb 28: Giving a new twist to the Goa power struggle between the outnumbered BJP and an aggressive Congress, the BJP's Speaker and deputy speaker in the Goa assembly both resigned their posts today.
This came before a pre-scheduled vote of confidence could be even taken up in the Congress' Pratapsing Rane-lead government. Instead of the vote of confidence, as anticipated, the House was adjourned sine die.
In the 40-seat Goa assembly, the Congress has 18 MLAs backing it, while the BJP has 17. Blocking one MLA in the Speaker's post would have reduced the numbers on the BJP side, since the Speaker has a vote only in case of a tie in voting.
Five MLAs of the Goa assembly, earlier BJP supporters, have resigned from their posts -- in a clear attempt to dodge the provisions of the anti-defection law -- after they switched sides politically.
Since the May 2004 defeat of the BJP at the national level elections, their local government has been hardpressed and come under pressures. The Governor, who has often played a key role in deciding which party governors in Goa, has also been Congress-appointed, putting further pressure on the Manohar Parrikar government.
But the Parrikar government, which has been dominated largely by the single figure of engineer-turned-politician Parrikar, has stayed on in power determinedly, despite all the attempts to dislodge it, and now even after being reduced to a minority.
Since January 28, when the Parrikar government lost its majority, it has carried out every attempt to stay on in governance. Parrikar told journalists in Goa Sunday that he would stak his claim to form the next government "after Rane loses his trial of strength".
Congress' hurry to get to power, and some controversial decisions taken by the Governor that benefitted it, have not helped build credibility in the power transition either.
Earlier today, hours before a crucial Congress-versus-BJP test of strength in the Goa assembly on Monday, the BJP-affiliated speaker disqualified the Congress-alliance's deputy chief minister, giving a new twist to the bitter battle for power in Goa.
A BJP minister till January-end, Filip Neri Rodrigues -- who was disqualified this morning -- was rewarded with the deputy chief ministership after he switched sides to join the Congress coalition's assent to power.
Since 1990, Goa politics has largely be shadowed by who rules Delhi, and the congruence between parties in power there and at Panjim is too uncanny to be overlooked.
Goa was scheduled to have a vote of confidence in the Pratapsing Rane-lead Congress government, at 2.30 pm today (Monday). But the developments gave a new twist to the struggle for power.
Now the ball seems to be placed in the court of Governor S C Jamir, a former Congress leader from the North East.
Reports here had anticipated that a legislature-government-governor standoff could have developed, with the BJP-Congress tug of war for power.
Private security personnel were expected to beef up the assembly security staff for the crucial Monday afternoon session, even as the stand-off between the BJP-controlled Speakership and the Congress-dominated government took events to a new low in this politically instable chief that has seen almost an average of one chief minister a year over the past 15 years.
ENDS
