Parrikar takes oath as Goa CM, says no MLA wanted to ’support’ Congress

Mangalore Today News Network

Mar 14, 2017: Parrikar took oath as the Goa CM for the fourth time. Joining him were MGP’s Sudin Dhavalikar, Pandurang Madkaikar, Independent MLA Rohan Khaunte, Independent MLA Govind Gawade, GFP’s Vijay Sardesai and MGP’s Babu Ajgaonkar. Goa Governor Mridula Sinha administered the oath of office to Parrikar at the Raj Bhavan .

Meanwhile, after taking oath Parrikar took a dig at Congress asking why it didn’t go to the Governor if they had ‘support’. He said: “If you had the support then why did you not go to the Governor? The support extended to BJP to form govt in Goa is only for Goa’s development. No MLA wanted to support Congress. I agree the mandate is fractured, but with 22 MLAs together the vote share is more than sufficient. Its post poll alliance."

 

In a major setback to the Congress Party, the Supreme Court earlier in the day refused to stay the swearing-in of Parrikar and ordered a floor test in the state assembly at 11 a.m. on March 16. Parrikar yesterday quit as the defence minister of India, a post he had been holding since November 2014 after first reshuffle of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet. At that time, he was serving his second term as the Chief Minister of Goa.

Parrikar will replace incumbent Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar. Parrikar has been Goa’s Chief Minister twice before and has been credited with strengthening the BJP in the coastal state. He has been a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) since a young age and is an alumnus of the IIT-Bombay. His first term as the Goa Chief Minister was from 2000 to 2005 and his second term began in 2012.

Parrikar’s term as the Defence Minister was marked by a continued period of tension on the India-Pakistan border, following a string of Pakistan-backed terrorist strikes and ceasefire violations in Jammu and Kashmir. He also presided over the forces’ surgical strikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and their punitive response to ceasefire violations.

Parrikar steered the Defence Ministry through a string of high-profile acquisitions of weaponry, many of which had been in limbo for years. The BJP, which won 13 seats in the 40-member Goa Assembly, managed to garner support from other parties and Independents to attain majority under Parrikar. Three MLAs of the Goa Forward Party, three of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and two Independents have pledged their support to Parrikar. The Congress won 17 seats in the recently concluded polls.

Earlier, Supreme Court cleared the decks for oath taking of Manohar Parrikar as the Chief Minister of Goa by refusing the plea of Congress to stay the ceremony, saying the BJP has shown the support of 21 out of the 40 newly elected MLAs.

The apex court at the same time directed conducting of the floor test on Thursday. Parrikar is to be sworn in this evening. It also directed going ahead with all "pre-requisites of holding the floor test by tomorrow, including the formalities required by the Election Commission" and putting in place the senior most member in the Assembly as the protem speaker.

The top court said it was "satisfied" that all the contentious issues raised in the petition by Goa Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Chandrakant Kavlekar "can be resolved by a simple direction of holding a floor test".

A bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar, which held a special sitting as the apex court was on a Holi vacation, requested Goa Governor Mridula Sinha to summon the House for the floor test for which the session will commence at 11 AM on March 16 and no other business other than holding the floor test will be conducted after the swearing-in of the members which will be completed as soon as possible.

The bench, also comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and R K Agrawal, refused to interfere with the decision of the Governor and took on record her letter to Parrikar which took into account that the BJP along with its 13 elected members have the support of members of the regional parties-- Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and Goa Forward Party (GFP)-- and the independents taking the tally to 21 to attain the magic figure in the 40-member House.

Besides BJP’s 13 MLAs, three each from MGP and GFP and two independent members have pledged support for government formation under Parrikar.

While ordering floor test, the bench noted the submissions of Goa CLP leader’s counsel and senior advocate Abhishek Mani Singhvi who assailed the Governor’s determination to invite Parrikar to form the government by "seriously disputing" the factual position and terming it as a "misrepresentation of fact".

During the hearing, the bench found fault with Congress for not raising the issue of number of MLAs supporting it before the Governor and also rushing to the apex court without the affidavits of the elected members of the regional parties and independents that they are supporting the Congress which emerged as the single largest party in the 40-member House.