‘BJP govts in 3 states against people’s mandate’

SHILLONG: Luizinho Faleiro on Monday accused the BJP of “robbing the mandate of people” in Meghalaya, Manipur and Goa where the Congress emerged as the single largest party in respective Assembly elections.
Faleiro told reporters here that the BJP, with the help of the office of the governor, “robbed the mandate of the people in Meghalaya, Goa and Manipur” by hosting their governments.
Referring to the Bommai case dealing with Article 356, Faleiro said as per the decision of the court, it is normally a practice that the office of the governor or the president has to invite the single largest party first to form the government. The AICC general secretary said after the recent experience in Meghalaya, the Congress had immediately written to the governor in Karnataka to invite it to form the government but later, the party had to take legal recourse.
Reacting to a query about the desertions of its MLA Martin M Danggo, Faleiro said, “There is anti-defection law but if someone still deserts then it is a matter of shamelessness rather than honour and the people of Ranikor constituency have given their loud and clear signal on the matter.”