Goa CM may try to dissolve assembly: Congress

PANAJI: After knocking on the doors of Goa Raj Bhavan several times, the Congress on Monday wrote to President of India Ram Nath Kovind, urging him to keep a check on possible “constitutional overreach” by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who it alleged is trying to seek dissolution of the Assembly by foul means.

State Congress president Girish Chodankar also said in his letter to Kovind that the prolonged illness of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had also resulted in an unprecedented situation in Goa, where the government as well as the state administration had completely collapsed.

“...it is imperative that you issue instructions and guide the Governor of Goa, so that there is no constitutional overreach to seek a dissolution by foul play, contrary to the wishes of the majority,” Chodankar said in his letter to Kovind on Monday.

“The plea is being made as there has been an instance in the past under the chief ministership of Manohar Parrikar of dissolution of House through a forged resolution of Council of Ministers. There should not be recurrence of such a macabre situation and hence this petition,” Chodankar further alleged in the letter, referring to accusations made by then ministers of a previous Parrikar-led administration, who had alleged that in 2002 Parrikar had recommended dissolution of the state Assembly without consulting them.

Chodankar also said that Parrikar’s illness had led to complete collapse of the state’s administrative machinery.

“The state government led by the BJP with Manohar Parrikar as the CM has ensured complete collapse of administration in the state inasmuch as the state and its people are being made to suffer with no governance in sight. It may be noted that the prolonged illness of the CM has also kept several issues pertaining to state administration pending...” Chodankar said in his letter to the President.

The state Congress chief also demanded dismissal of the incumbent government and said that with 16 MLAS, the party is still the singlelargest in the state Assembly, so and they should be invited to form government in Goa.

“The Congress, which is still the single-largest party with 16 MLAS in the House and has numbers on its side, is willing to shoulder the responsibility of forming the government and is also ready to prove it strength at any given time,” Chodankar said.