BJP serves no-confidence motion against Goa assembly Speaker

Panaji, Mar 14 (UNI) The Opposition BJP today served no-confidence motion against Goa assembly Speaker Pratapsinh Rane and deputy speaker Mauvin Godhinho for the second time, after the Speaker had rejected the earlier motion on technical grounds.

''I seek the indulgence of Governor S C Jamir to direct the Speaker to accept the motions under Article 175(2) of the Constitution in the coming budget session of the state legislative assembly beginning here on March 24. If the Governor too fails to do so, I will approach the appropriate court for justice,'' Leader of opposition Manohar Parrikar told mediapersons here today.

The Speaker, he alleged, had rejected the earlier motions served on March 7 on the premise that they were ''not dated and hand-written'' as it required 14 days advance notice, though the Speaker had no powers under the Constitution to do so. It was the office of the Speaker/legislature secretariat to accept it, not the Speaker, he contended.

There were many issues related to the office of the Speaker, including certain observations made by the CAG besides some glaring instances of manipulation of tenders and appointment of non-Goans as security personnel, that need exposure, Mr Parrikar said.

The manner in which the Speaker had disqualified MGP leader and now new minister in the cabinet Ramakirhna Dhavlikar and later revoked his suspension, were quite contradictory in nature and needs exposure so that the incidents did not become a precedent.

The BJP leader also questioned as to what transpired when Winnie Coutinho, public prosecutor of Goa bench of Bombay High Court, was terminated from the service on February 14 through an order in the gazette notification and the order was kept in abeyance with a few hours later until further orders.

The government should explain the reasons behind this drama, he added.

Mr Parrikar also demanded a thorough probe into many cases of murder, treated as natural deaths or suicides, by the corrupt cops in collusion with the state forensic experts over the years.

He cited the rape-and-murder case of the British minor girl Scarlett Keeling as the latest example of police manipulation of cases.

The opposition leader also demanded a thorough probe into the drug menace prevalent in Goan beaches, which had become a haven for foreigners for their nefarious activities, that hade been unchecked with police turning a blind eye as huge amounts of hush money was involved.

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