MAPUSA
National spokesman of TMC Trajano D’Mello on Wednesday alleged that the ruling dispensation at the Centre has been misusing institutions to undermine democracy.
“It is well known that the ‘double engine’ government uses the Election Commission to throttle democracy, and that is exactly what has been done in Goa,” said D’Mello.
D’Mello was reacting to the order of the Bombay High Court at Goa cancelling the by-election in the Ponda constituency, a decision that has sparked a wider political debate in the State.
Highlighting his role in the proceedings, D’Mello said he was the only political representative to intervene in the case, even though his party had not contested the election.
“Though I had no locus standi in the case, the bench was pleased to listen to me,” he said, adding that his intervention was aimed at protecting the democratic process.
He also trained his guns on opposition parties, particularly the Indian National Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, accusing them of failing to step in despite being directly affected by the outcome.
“They were directly interested parties and had every right to intervene and explain to the judges the consequences of proceeding with the earlier judgment. If they had intervened, the verdict could have been different,” D’Mello asserted.
Questioning their criticism in the aftermath of the ruling, he added, “What is the point of shouting now? They should have intervened when the matter was being heard.”
The High Court’s decision has since ignited a political slugfest in Goa, with parties trading blame over both the legal strategy adopted and the implications of the verdict on the electoral process.
