BJP legislators stage dharna in prorogued House

Panaji, Jan 17 (UNI) Fourteen members of the opposition BJP staged a sit-in dharna in the well of the State Legislative Assembly following eleventh hour prorogation of the House due to meet today.

Eight other legislators -- NCP-3, MGP-2, Independent-2 (Viswajeet Rane and Anil Salgaocar) and SGF-1 (Reginaldo Laurenco) -- however, squatted on the respective chairs in the House for sometime before all were asked to disperse by the marshals.

With the Governor S C Jamir proroguing the House, neither the Speaker nor the ruling party members turned up at the House and most of the rooms were locked.

The members, however, got their entry into the House through the opposition lobby side. Otherwise, the imposing Assembly Complex built at a cost of Rs one lakh per square metre wore a deserted look but for the presence of the 22 legislators besides, the journalists.

The BJP opposition leader later reiterated his demand of sacking Chief Minister Digambar Kamat for ''running away'' from the House without facing the trial of strength through the Appropriation Bill.

He renewed his plea with the Governor to dismiss the Government, which he said plunged into minority with three ministers and a member with cabinet rank resigning yesterday.

He said other states should not follow the example of Goa which set a bad precedent by saving the minority government through the backdoor as the Governor and the Speaker did.

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