Chose to back petitioners, argued for stopping poll
MAPUSA
Launching a sharp attack on the State’s top law officer, Trinamool Congress national spokesperson Trajano D’Mello on Thursday alleged that the Advocate General’s stand in the High Court has “exposed” a larger conspiracy by the government to stall the Ponda by-election.
Addressing a news conference, D’Mello said the Advocate General Devidas Pangam’s decision to distance himself from the State government during the hearing – and instead back the petitioners – was unprecedented and deeply suspect.
“The Advocate General is supposed to represent the government. But in the High Court, he clearly stated that he was not appearing for the State. Worse, he went on to support the petitioners and argued that the election should be stopped. This single act exposes the entire conspiracy,” D’Mello said.
D’Mello, who was present throughout the hearing in the High Court, pointed out that despite being made a party in the petition, the State government neither defended its position nor filed any affidavit in the matter.
“What does this indicate? The government is deliberately avoiding taking a stand,” he said, suggesting tacit backing for efforts to derail the electoral process.
He further widened his attack to include the Election Commission of India, alleging that its handling of the by-election schedule was “dubious” and inconsistent with past precedent.
Referring to the death of former minister Ravi Naik on October 15 last year, D’Mello said the vacancy should have been filled within a reasonable time-frame.
“The election should have been held in December or January so that the new MLA gets at least a year in office. The ECI has failed to follow its own precedents. This is mischief, plain and simple,” he said, adding that the Commission’s delay was unfair to both political parties and voters.
In a pointed political swipe, D’Mello also criticised opposition parties – Congress and AAP – for failing to intervene in the case despite being directly affected by the outcome.
“They are interested parties, yet they chose to remain silent. Their absence raises serious questions,” he said.
D’Mello went a step further, alleging that the petitioners were closely aligned with the BJP, a link he claimed further underscored the State’s complicity in efforts to derail the by-election process.
