SHILLONG: Irked by the decision of Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala to invite BJP to form the government despite Congress and JD (S) having the majority, the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee on Friday petitioned the President of India and also staged demonstrations throughout the state against the move.
The party has also reminded the President about the Meghalaya situation where Congress, despite being the single largest party, was not invited to form the government.
The memorandum submitted to the President through Governor Ganga Prasad, said that once the majority of two political parties coming together is established, the only option before the Governor is to call such a coalition for formation of the government.
“Once the numbers are presented like in case of Karnataka where the Congress- JD(S) combine has strength of 117, it supersedes everything else as per the established Constitutional norms, past practices and the judgment of the Supreme Court,” the memorandum said.
The party added that in the March 2017 elections to Goa Assembly, Congress won 17 seats in the House comprising 40 seats compared to the BJP’s win in 12 seats and the party formed a coalition with Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and Goa Forward Party (GFP) and was, consequently, invited to form the government. The same month in Manipur, Congress won 28 seats in the House of 60 as against BJP’s win in only 21 seats. Yet, the post-poll coalition of BJP was invited to form the government. “Recently, in the February 2018 polls in Meghalaya, Congress emerged as the single largest winning 21 seats out of 60 seats in the state legislature. BJP won only two seats. Yet, the post poll coalition of BJP+NPP+UDP+PDF+HSPDP was invited to form the government on the argument that they had majority numbers,” the memorandum said.
The petition said that even former President K.R Narayanan had elaborated this principle in his communiqué on March 12, 1998, when he invited Atal Bihari Vajpayee to form the government.
“When no party or pre-election alliance of parties is in a clear majority, the Head of State, in India or elsewhere, gives the first opportunity to the leader of the party or combination of parties that has won the largest number of seats subject to the Prime Minister so appointed obtaining majority support on the floor of the House within a stipulated time.”
The decision of the Karnataka Governor, a former Finance Minister in Gujarat with RSS links, to invite Yeddyurappa to be sworn in as chief minister is a murder of Democracy, violation of the Constitution, negation of the law and subjugation of every known principles and judgements of the Supreme Court, the party said.
Earlier, the Congress leaders and party workers staged dharna outside the Congress headquarters in the city and other parts of the state.
