PANAJI
In a statement released by the Chief Spokesperson of the Party Sunil Kawthankar, the party has said that the petition filed on behalf of the Congress legislative party leader Chandrakant ‘Babu’ Kavlekar “challenging Governor’s move appointing Manohar Parrikar as CM despite Congress being single largest party with 17 seats in the 40 member legislative assembly.”
“The BJP has only 13 seats and did not have any pre-poll alliance with any other political party, the governor should have invited us to stake claim to form the government and asked to prove the strength on the floor of the House,” Kawthankar said.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the petition urgently and of immediate concern will be whether the Supreme Court, as an interim measure, agrees to the Congress demand for a stay on the swearing in ceremony of Chief Minister elect Manohar Parrikar along with a group of ministers from a various group of parties.
The decision to approach the Supreme Court was taken on a day of hectic activity with rumours flying thick and fast that the Congress was about to witness a breakup with some suggesting that as many as six elected Congress MLAs were seeking an exit from the party.
The rumours was quickly quelled by the Congress Legislature Party leader Kavlekar. “There is absolutely no truth in the news that we are splitting up. We are all together. Yesterday there were some differences and in anger several members spoke out against the party, but that has been settled,”
Congress’ Antonio “Tony” Fernandes, whose name was among those who were doing the rounds as having made up their mind to quit the Congress has also shot down the rumours.
“There is no truth in it. People are simply spreading rumours,” Fernandes said.
The Congress quoted a section of the Sarkaria Commission report which specifically deals with situations where no party obtains an absolute majority.
The Commission’s report provides the order of preference the Governor should follow in selecting a Chief Minister.
According to the report, the order of preference is to call an alliance of parties formed prior to the elections, the second in the list of priorities is the “largest single party staking a claim to form the government with the support of others including independents” while third in the order of preference is a post poll electoral coalition of parties with all the partner in coalition joining the government.
The Congress in its petition submitted that there was no prepoll alliance and that the Governor could not have turned a nelson’s eye to the Congress which is the single largest political party.
“However the Governor vide her decision dated March 12, 2017 appointed Manohar Parrikar as the Chief Minister of the State and has invited the BJP which has only 13 seats in the legislative assembly to form the government and the scheduled oath taking ceremony is on March 13,” the Congress said alleging that the entire manoeuvering exercise was “to defeat the mandate of the people and to somehow grab power by misusing the office of the Governor.”
“The Governor could not have acted on the basis of any purported claim
made by the BJP in this regard without even ascertaining from the Congress, the single largest party whether it was in a position to form the government,” the petition reads.
