Cong cites Goa, Manipur, Meghalaya cases to justify claim to power

Cong cites Goa, Manipur, Meghalaya cases to justify the claim to power

The Congress on Tuesday cited precedents of Goa, Manipur and Meghalaya even as it asserted that Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala had no option, but to call the Congress-JD(S) alliance to form the government.

“The Constitution of India, the laws and ethics are clear that any coalition, even if it is a post-poll coalition, if it has a clear majority, then the Governor, as per the Constitution, has no other option but to invite that alliance to form a government. Hence we expect that the alliance of JD(S)-Congress is invited to form government,” Randeep Surjewala, in-charge of the AICC communications department told reporters.

Surjewala also quoted the then President KR Narayanan, who had invited Atal Bihari Vajpayee to form a coalition in 1998.

“When no party or pre-election alliance of parties is in a clear majority, the Head of State has, in India or elsewhere, given the first opportunity to the leader of the party or combination of parties that has won largest number of seats subject to the Prime Ministers, so appointed obtaining majority support on the floor of the house within a stipulated time,” Narayanan had said in a statement then.

The Congress also said that its coalition with the JD(S) enjoyed 56% vote share in Karnataka.

“The BJP, which is nowhere near the majority mark, now in a conspiratorial manner, is citing the S R Bommai case (as per which, the single largest party has to be invited to form a government) to argue that it should be invited to form a government,” Surjewala said.

He said the Bommai judgement has been overturned multiple times to allow the post-poll alliance to form governments in Manipur, Goa and Meghalaya.

Surjewala also referred to the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Goa case to make a case for the Governor to use his discretion to invite the post-poll coalition to form the government.