Click to play videoNew Delhi: Upsetting BJP's calculations, Goa Chief Minister Digamber Kamat won the vote of confidence in the state Assembly.
Amid high political drama, the day saw some deft maneuvering on the part of the Congress to get the trust vote.
First the Speaker Pratapsinh Rane restrained Congress MLA Victoria Fernandes whose resignation from the Assembly had not been accepted.
Then Rane also restrained two MGP MLAs Udhin Dhavalikar and Rama Dhavalikar, who had withdrawn their support to the Congress-led government, from voting.
BJP leader and former chief minister Manohar Parrikar described the Speaker’s actions in the Assembly as a “murder of democracy,” while the Opposition staged a walkout from the House alleging violation of the Governor's order by the ruling combine.
The Goa Democratic Alliance (GDA), lead by Parikkar had staked claim to form the next government in the state. To prove that the numbers back him, Parikkar had even paraded MLAs backing him before President Pratibha Patil.
This after the two-month old Congress-led government was reduced to a minority last week when two Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party MLAs withdrew their support and a Congress MLA Victoria Fernandes resigned.
Reacting sharply to the Congress victory, BJP General Secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy said, “It is a blatant action by the Speaker to save the government. We have the numbers on our side. Why were the members not served notice of disqualification?”
Meanwhile, Congress leader, Shanta Ram Naik said, "It is the Speaker's prerogative to decide on the voice vote and he has taken a fair decision."
Before the trust vote, the Congress-NCP alliance had the support of only 19 MLAs in the 40-member Assembly.
The BJP on the other hand had 20 MLAs having inked a pact with MGP, Save Goa Front, United Goans Democratic Party and an Independent.
Opposition cries foul
BJP-led GDA on Monday accused Rane of acting in a partisan manner.
"He has refused to meet us since morning and was conducting hearings exparte (on disqualification petitions). His faxlines were disconnected and he was not picking up the phone," Parrikar said.
Parrikar said neither of the Dhavalikar brothers had received the disqualification notice and the Speaker was hearing the matter exparte.
The former BJP chief minister said he had anticipated that the Speaker might debar both the legislators from voting on the floor of the House.
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