Sandesh Prabhudesai
27 February 2002
Chief minister Manohar Parrikar today afternoon
confirmed that Governor Mohammed Fazal signed an order to
dissolve Goa Assembly, as recommended by his cabinet today
morning.
The Raj Bhavan also later confirmed that
the 32-month old House is being dissolved and Parrikar, along
with his cabinet, will continue as the caretaker government.
Addressing the media after returning from
the Raj Bhavan, Parrikar said the governor has accepted his
contention that the BJP should be allowed to seek people’s
full mandate to come back to power.
All the minister today attended the hurriedly
called cabinet meeting, claims Parrikar, except information
minister Sanjay Bandekar, who is out of station. "It
is an unanimous decision", he added.
He also denied that this was a pre-emptive
move on his part as some of his cabinet colleagues were planning
to split and form an alternate government in collusion with
the opposition Congress.
The existing BJP government was formed in
November 2000 last year, after taking rebels from other parties
into it. "That was a fractured mandate as only 10 legislators
of the BJP were actually elected in the 40-member House",
said Parrikar.
According to Parrikar, the dissolution was
recommended by the cabinet as per Article 174 (2) B of the
constitution, which becomes mandatory on the governor.
As the budget session was convened on 13
March, the governor then summoned the advocate general and
the law secretary to consult whether the recommendation can
be accepted in such a situation. He then signed the order
in the afternoon.
This is the first time the House is dissolved
in Goa in such a manner. The earlier Assembly was also dissolved
prematurely, but only after it witnessed series of defections,
which led to instability.
Parrikar admitted that attempts were on to
topple the BJP government, which had come to power with fractured
mandate, by spreading series of rumours and creating confusion
in the ruling party.
"It is better we face the people and
come back to power in full strength", said the chief
minister. He is fully confident of winning elections, claiming
that recently held panchayat elections had helped them to
come to power in majority at grassroot level.
Stating that the BJP was brought to power
due to defective policies of the then ruling Congress, he
said fresh elections will give the BJP an opportunity for
better governance.
Though last Assembly polls had brought the
Congress to power, the then Luizinho Faleiro government was
toppled within 11 months with rebel leader Francisco Sardinha
splitting from the ruling party, to form a coalition with
the BJP.
Sardinha however could rule only till November
2000 last as the BJP withdrew its support and formed a full-fledged
BJP government by engineering further defections into the
Congress and admitting them in the saffron camp.
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