BJP keeps all legal options open on Goa

New Delhi, July 31 (UNI) The BJP today said it was keeping all its options open, including moving the court against Goa Speaker Pratapsinh Rane's "perverse and unconstitutional" decision to keep 2 MGP MLAs out of voting in the Confidence Motion yesterday, which had helped Chief Minister Digambar Kamat win the trust vote.

The party said it might challenge Mr Rane's decision in the court.

Addressing newspersons, BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said all the MLAs belonging to the Goa Democratic Alliance were flying to the national capital this evening and the party would decide its future course of action and strategy.

He said the para 4 of Schedule 10 of the Constitution allows even merger when 2/3rd mlas of a party desired it. Here was the case where the party had only two MLAs and both decided to go with the Goa Democratic Alliance, formed under the leadership of former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.

Besides the Speaker had taken the decision without even giving an audience to the MLAs, he said.

Mr Prasad said it was a sham on the part of the Speaker that he not only debarred the two MGP MLAs but also voted in favour of the Kamat government when he found there was a tie. He just announced the decision in the House about his casting vote with the ruling alliance without even going through the whole voting procedure.

Secondly, he rejected permission to Mr Parrikar 18 times who wanted to raise a point of order.

The BJP leader said two MGP Mlas had taken their decision on July 26 and the Speaker had four days with him during which he never sought any explanation from the MLAs. His conduct was not only partisan but amounted to 'patent subversion' of the constitution. It seemed to be a part of the bigger design to help the Kamat Government, hatched at the Centre, he said.

UNI