JOIN US The Congress on Wednesday questioned the Supreme Court’s decision to give a go ahead to the swearing-in of Manohar Parrikar as the chief minister of Goa.
Citing the judgement in the S R Bommai case, the Congress argued that the governor was duty bound to “invite” the Congress to form the government in Goa and Manipur.
“Did the Supreme Court err in appreciating this unequivocal Constitutional position,” asked Randeep Singh Surjewala, in-charge of the AICC Communications Department, in a blog post.
“If majority mandate is to be tested on who rushed to the governor first, we would be setting a dangerous precedent where governors would play the black magic of converting minority into majority,” Surjewala said.
In a blogpost, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had hit out at the Congress for “complaining too much” after the BJP pipped it to the post in Goa by striking post-poll alliances.
“There was a hung Assembly (in Goa). Obviously, post-poll alliances will be formed in a hung Assembly. The BJP managed to form an alliance, presenting 21 out of 40 MLAs to the governor,” Jaitley had said.
Surjewala said the Goans had not only elected the Congress as the single largest party with 17 seats, but also decisively defeated the sitting BJP government, including chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar as also six sitting BJP ministers.
“The BJP that claims to be a ‘party with a difference’ has truly demonstrated their difference by trampling on institutions and the mandate of the people. It is now clear that Modiji’s brand of New India is founded on defections rather than on elections,” Surjewala said.