Goa Governor asks CM to prove majority, BJP calls on President

PANAJI/NEW DELHI: Goa Governor S C Jamir on Saturday asked Chief Minister Digamber Kamat to prove majority in the assembly on Monday even as the opposition BP paraded 20 MLAs before President Pratibha Patil, claiming it had their support to form the next government in the state.

The Kamat-led government was reduced to a minority this week after the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) withdrew support and rebel Congress MLA Victoria Fernandes resigned from the House.

With the rebel MLAs in tow, the BJP-led Goa Democratic Alliance (GDA) took its plea to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, urging President Patil to ensure a sitting of the state assembly on Monday.

In a memorandum submitted to Patil, 20 MLAs of the GDA demanded that there should be a direction that the first agenda of the Goa assembly on Monday should be a trial of strength, which must be done in the presence of an observer and the proceedings videographed.

"The Goa government has been reduced to a minority and has deliberately skipped the sitting of the assembly on Friday," Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar told after meeting Patil.

Among the MLAs in the BJP-led GDA are Pandurang and Ramkrishna Dhavalikar of the MGP, two legislators of the Save Goa Front and independent MLA Anil Salgaoncar.

A Rashtrapati Bhawan spokesman said: "The President told the MLAs that the Goa Governor will uphold the Constitution."

In Panaji, Kamat said: "The governor has asked us to have the floor test as the first item on Monday." He said he was confident because he had the required numbers in the 40-member House.

Kamat, who addressed a state Congress committee meeting this afternoon, said the resignation of Fernandes was not accepted by the Speaker. This gave the Congress-led coalition strength of 20 members in the House, he said.

"I was always confident. I am not afraid to face anybody. Why should I be afraid?" Kamat shot back when asked whether the Congress would seek the disqualification of the MGP members before the assembly session on Monday.

In Delhi, Parrikar also claimed the support of independent MLA Vishwajeet Rane, the son of Speaker and former chief minister Pratapsinh Rane.

"Vishwajeet has sent me a text message, which I have in my mobile phone, extending support to the BJP-led Goa Democratic Alliance (GDA)," he said.

Also among the MLAs backing the GDA was Atanasio alias Babush Monserrate, the town and country minister in the previous Parrikar government who was sacked following allegations of irregularities in the construction sector.

Parrikar parried a query on the presence of his one-time rival Monserrate, saying that though the BJP had contested the election against him, "we never said there was no possibility of a post-poll alliance".

Kamat, the power minister in Parrikar's cabinet, had played a key role in the fall of the BJP government some two years ago.