-Dubbing the formation of a BJP-led coalition Government in Goa as nothing but a “murder of democracy”, the Shiv Sena on Wednesday slammed its senior ruling ally in Maharashtra and at the Centre for indulging in “horse-trading” with such legislators who had been elected after contesting against it in the Assembly polls.
In an editorial published in its official mouth-piece “Saamana”, the Sena stated, “Taking advantage of the fact that the Congress which had emerged as the single largest party in the party, took easy after the polls, the BJP has – through horse trading — enlisted the support of legislators of a party that had contested the polls against it and Manohar Parrikar came to be sworn as the new chief minister of Goa. One cannot describe as the developments in Goa as anything other than murder of democracy”.
“let us hope that our democracy has enough strength to reconcile with the murder of democracy. We extend our warm greetings to Manohar Parrikar (on his becoming the Chief Minister),” the Sena editorial said in a sarcastic tone.
“What witnessed in Goa was amusing. When the critics of the BJP voted overwhelmingly against it in the Assembly polls, they would have not known as to what would befall them. For the sake of power, all those people who had fought against one another. Hitherto, we had seen the Congress foist its candidates as chief ministers in the states. Now, the BJP has followed the precedents set by the Congress,” the Saamana editorial stated.
“The Congress, which had emerged the single largest party by winning as many as 17 seats in the polls, was outsmarted by the BJP through its swift manipulations. So much so, the Congress knocked the doors of the Supreme Court, but its effort proved to be futile. Just because the apex court refused the stay the swearing in of Parrikar as the chief minister does not make the BJP’s stake to claim power as natural and justifiable,” the Sena mouth-piece stated.
“Given that after so much of `setting’, the BJP managed to have 13 of its persons elected as MlAS, it was but natural that there was no chief ministerial candidates among its elected MlAs. On his part, Parrikar was camping in Goa, after having virtually given up his responsibilities as the defence minister. In the run up to the polls, Vijay Sardesai had called Parrikar as a fixer. See the irony the same Sardesai fixed Parrikar as the chief minister,” the Saamana added.