Goa: Have majority, Parrikar must step down says Congress
Panaji, Oct 14: Accusing the BJP of acting "power hungry" in Goa, the Congress on Saturday demanded that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar step down and it be allowed to prove majority by convening a special session of the state assembly.
Congress leaders Pawan Khera and Goa PCC chief Girish Chodankar claimed that the BJP is not removing Parrikar from the chief minister's post fearing that he might "spill the beans" on the Rafale fighter jet deal.
[Dropping of ministers on health grounds 'laughable' when CM himself is ailing: Goa Congress chief]
The opposition party also accused the BJP of "betraying" the people of Goa and "killing governance" in the state.
"Power hungry BJP first murdered democracy in Goa and is now killing Governance there. The clamour for power has cemented a corrupt, callous and cheat BJP to the CM Chair in Goa. The BJP has no constitutional right to continue in power in Goa, even for a single day," said Khera.
The opposition party alleged that the BJP "usurped" power in Goa through the backdoor. "People of Goa had given the mandate to the Congress. Governor Mridula Sinha should listen to the voice of people of Goa and opposition parties and allow us to prove our numbers on the floor of the House.
[Goa: Francis DeSouza and Pandurang Madkaikar dropped from Parrikar's cabinet]
"A
special
session
of
the
Goa
Assembly
should
be
immediately
convened
and
there
should
be
a
floor
test.
This
will
clear
all
doubts
about
who
is
in-charge
in
Goa
and
who
has
the
rightful
claim
to
head
a
democratic
government," Chodankar
said.
He
claimed
the
Congress
has
a
majority
in
Goa
and
added
that
"Goans
deserve
a
full-time
chief
minister
and
to
ensure
democracy
and
constitutional
functioning,
a
floor
test
is
imperative".
At
the
same
time,
he
added,
"no
constitutional
morality
can
be
expected
from
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
and
BJP
chief
Amit
Shah
because
they
are
drunk
with
power".
Replying
to
a
query,
he
said
as
the
Defence
Minister,
Parrikar
must
have
had
a
lot
of
information
on
the
Rafale
deal.
"So we have no doubt that the moment the Prime Minister and the BJP President pressure him or demand his resignation or they try to remove him, Manohar Parrikar will not keep quiet, he will reveal all the secret information, important information, which can expose our Prime Minister," he claimed.
Khera said the Congress has been demanding that the Goa Governor convene a one-day special session so that it can ask the government to prove majority.
"The
moment
we
get
the
first
opportunity,
we
will
prove
it
and
we
will
show
we
can
form
the
government.
Today
itself
if
you
call
the
session
that
I
am
here,
we
will
be
able
to
prove
majority
in
the
assembly,"
he
claimed.
Wishing
Parrikar
a
speedy
recovery
and
long
life,
he
said
his
ailment
cannot
be
an
impediment
to
the
aspirations
of
the
people
of
Goa
as
people
of
the
state
want
governance,
administration
and
progress.
"Instead of taking Cabinet meetings in AIIMS Delhi, Parrikar should show moral righteousness and voluntarily step down from his post, and get ready for a floor test," he said.
Khera alleged that the "state is headless, governance is paralyzed, the administration is crippled, there is a complete breakdown of authority, rule of law has collapsed, people are feeling cheated with absolutely no policy and direction and Goa is in chaos".
Parrikar, who is undergoing treatment for a pancreatic ailment in New Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), held meetings with party leaders as well as allies on Friday to discuss ways to ensure that his government functions normally.
He
is
expected
to
shed
"many"
of
his
portfolios
after
Dussehra,
according
to
ministers
who
met
him.
But
Khere
said,
"This
desperate
drama
of
holding
a
cabinet
meeting
in
AIIMS
and
playing
musical
chairs
with
the
portfolio
of
ministers
is
the
last
straw
and
is
akin
to
rubbing
salt
on
wounds
of
people
of
Goa."
In the 40-member state assembly, the Parrikar government has the support of 23 MLAs. These comprise 14 BJP MLAs, three each from the Goa Forward Party and MGP as well as three Independents. The opposition Congress is the single largest party in the Goa assembly with 16 MLAs.