Cong demands President's Rule

Sandesh Prabhudesai
27 February 2002  

Hiding their shocked state of mind, the opposition Congress in Goa has demanded President’s Rule in the state rather than allowing the Bharatiya Janata Party to rule the state, after dissolving the House.

Luizinho Faleiro, the state opposition leader, has also alleged that the BJP-led government by Manohar Parrikar has abused governor’s office by misinforming him when the cabinet had actually not authorised him to recommend dissolution.

Claiming that the issue of dissolution neither figured on official agenda of the cabinet nor the cabinet took a formal decision in this regard, Faleiro also felt that the governor should have at least verified the facts before dissolving the House.

After getting the news that Governor Mohammed Fazal had dissolved the House as recommended by the cabinet, Congressmen rushed to Panaji to plan their future strategy. Following a formal meeting of now-the-ex-legislators, they met the governor at Raj Bhavan.

"We have protested with the governor for taking a decision to dissolve the Assembly without consulting the opposition parties", said angry Faleiro. They are now awaiting response from the Raj Bhavan on the demand of President’s Rule, failing which they plan to take political as well as legal action.

Though he claims that the Congress is prepared to face the polls any moment, Faleiro asserts that the governor should have allowed a level-playing field by not allowing any party to rule the state till elections.

According to Faleiro, the move by the BJP was not to seek people’s mandate but a desperate attempt to save his government. "At least eight neo-saffronised and pseudo-saffronisecd BJP legislators from 21 had almost left the BJP a week ago", he disclosed.

He was however non-committal on whether the splinter group from the BJP was supposed to join the Congress to form an alternate government. Parrikar however had confirmed earlier that a fresh attempt in this regard was made recently.

Since the ruling BJP has been rejected by the people of India in the recently held Assembly polls in four states, Faleiro feels this move on the part of the saffron party will also boomerang in Goa, when elections are held.

"This is a panic button pressed by the desperate BJP after facing a debacle in the recently held Assembly polls in four states", quips Faleiro. In short, he calls it a fraud played by the saffron party on the people of Goa.

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