Parrikar takes oath as Goa CM
PANAJI: Manohar Parrikar, who quit as Defence Minister, on Tuesday took oath as the chief minister of Goa to head a coalition government, three days after the BJP ended up second behind the Congress in a fractured mandate.
Parrikar (61) took oath along with nine MLAS including two members of the BJP, three of the Goa Forward Party, two of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and as many Independents.
The BJP stalwart, who resigned as the Defence Minister on Monday, returned to Goa as the chief minister for the third time, though he could not complete full terms in his earlier stints.
He was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Mridula Sinha at the Raj Bhawan here, two days after she appointed Parrikar as the chief minister and asked him to prove majority on the floor of the House within 15 days.
BJP president Amit Shah and Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Venkaiah Naidu were present at the swearing-in ceremony.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed that the floor test is conducted on March 16.
It cleared the decks for Parrikar's oath taking by refusing a plea of the Congress to stay the ceremony, saying the BJP has shown the support of 21 out of the 40 newly- elected MLAS.
The Congress has emerged as the single largest party by winning 17 seats in the fractured verdict.
Parrikar said the portfolios will be allotted after the new government proves majority on the floor of the Legislative Assembly.
Justifying his return to the state, he said, "Regional parties have taken the lead to form this government and have requested me to lead them by resigning as defence minister."
Parrikar's anointment came amid an intense tug-of-war between the BJP and the Congress, which has questioned the legitimacy of the saffron party's bid to power given it has failed to secure the popular mandate.
The BJP has enlisted the support of three MLAS each of the MGP and GFP and two Independents to attain the halfway mark of 21 in the 40-member Assembly. In the 40-member House, the Congress has 17 MLAS, followed by the BJP with 13, MGP (3), GFP (3), NCP (1) and Independents (3).
NEW DELHI: Dismissing the accusation of Congress that BJP was ‘stealing’ mandate in Goa, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said it’s “a bit too much” as the Governor could not have invited minority of 17 MLAS to form the government.
“The Congress Party complains a bit too much. It accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of ‘stealing’ the mandate in Goa. It unsuccessfully petitioned before the Supreme Court. It attempted to raise issues in the Lok Sabha,” he said in a facebook post.
In view of the claim of 21 MLAS led by Manohar Parrikar, the Governor could not have invited the minority of 17 MLAS to form the government, he said, adding that “there are several precedents which support this decision of the Governor”.
In the recently held assembly elections in Goa, BJP bagged 13 seats, while Congress got 17 seats in a house with a strength of 40. However, BJP staked claim to form the government on the basis of support from 8 other MLAS.
Governor Mridula Sinha had invited Parrikar to form the government after he produced letter of support of 21 MLAS.
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court refused to stay the swearing in of Parrikar as the Chief Minister of Goa and ordered a floor test on March 16. Accusing the Governor of acting in a partisan manner, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday told reporters: “In the two states where we won, democracy has been undermined by them (BJP) using financial power, money. That is what is happening. The mandate of the people of Goa and Manipur has been stolen by the BJP.”
Jaitley responded by saying that the Goa Governor had only one claim of 21 MLAS out of 40 elected MLAS with Manohar Parrikar as their leader, while the 17 MLAS of Congress did not even make a claim nor elected their leader.
“How could the Congress ever be invited to form the Government?” Jaitley questioned.