By IANS
New Delhi : Eager to claim power in Goa, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday said it would parade its MLAs before the governor to prove its support, but the ruling Congress, reduced to a minority, insisted it still had the constitutional right to attempt to save its government.
BJP chief Rajnath Singh said his party-led Goa Democratic Alliance (GDA) is ready to parade its MLAs before the governor or the president to prove its numbers.
Although Congress leaders expressed confidence privately that it would be able to prove majority on the floor of the house, Congress party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said: "There is a constitutional process and it will take its own course."
"We have every right as a political party to try and prove majority for our government. But everything will be done within the ambit of constitution," Singhvi told reporters here.
The 49-day-old Congress government in Goa is on the brink of collapse after the two-member Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and an independent withdrew support. Soon after, the lone woman Congress legislator, Victoria Fernandes, quit the 40-member assembly. The Congress, which had 23 MLAs, is now reduced to 19.
While Congress has despatched its general secretary-in-charge Margaret Alva to Panaji to save the Digambar Kamat-led government, BJP leaders claimed that they would line up their MLAs before the governor or if needed before the newly elected President Pratiba Patil.
Talking to journalists here, Singh said: "If need be, we will parade our MLAs to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to prove majority."
"We are ready to parade the MLAs. The governor has no right to do a fishing expedition, but has to go by the numbers we have," BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad warned.
Both the GDA and the Congress have sought appointments with Governor S.C. Jamir, claiming majority in the assembly. Jamir, who is in the national capital, is expected to return to Panaji by Friday evening.
However, a blame game has already begun in the ruling party.
A section of Congress leaders said that before the June election the party's state unit had opposed the national leadership's move to give ticket to Fernandes.
"It was at (Congress general secretary) Margaret Alva's insistence that the ticket was given to Fernandes despite strong objections from the state unit," said a leader.
He alleged that Alva had not been aware of ground realities in the state.
Another party leader said: "The BJP is trying to engineer a mandate through the backdoor.
"The BJP is trying to compensate for its downslide before the public, especially after its candidate's defeat in the presidential election," he said referring to Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. "But we will prove majority on Monday."
The BJP-led GDA that now includes the MGP, Save Goa Front and United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP) claims the support of 20 legislators.
Elections were held to the Goa assembly June 2. The Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) combine has 19 seats. Smaller parties and independents played kingmakers, taking the strength to 23. Businessman-realtor Kamat, 53, became chief minister June 8. The BJP had got 14 seats.
Goa, a former Portuguese colony, has had 13 chief ministers and three stints of President's Rule since 1990 compared to three chief ministers between 1963 and 1990.