The Shiv Sena has come down heavily on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for going ahead with government formation in Goa in alliance with smaller parties terming it as a "murder of democracy".
The Sena, in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana', said though the Congress could not form government in Goa, it does not mean that the BJP-led government and the recent developments in the state can be called "moralistic."
Manohar Parrikar yesterday took oath as the Chief Minister of Goa after the Supreme Court cleared the decks for his swearing-in by refusing a plea of Congress to stay the ceremony. The apex court has also ordered a floor test tomorrow.
"The result of floor test in Goa may be the final deciding factor of this government but the present situation is nothing less than a murder of democracy," it said.
The editorial pointed out that even the majority support in the 40-member Goa assembly claimed by the BJP before forming the government appeared to be fixed.
"The smaller parties gave letters of conditional consent to the Governor that they would support the BJP only if Manohar Parrikar became the Chief Minister... Though it would been difficult for the BJP to select a CM from among its 13 elected legislators," the Sena said.
The sad part was that the parties which have extended support to the BJP have been elected on an "anti-BJP plank" in the assembly election in which the BJP trailed the Congress, it said.
"One cannot deny BJP's win in UP and Uttarakhand. But there were elections in three other states also, the results of which were opposite. But no political pundit is ready to talk about it," said the Sena, which is the ruling alliance partner in Maharashtra and at the Centre.
"Though these states are smaller than UP, the results show the sentiments of the people," it further said.
The Sena said it is not the least saddened by the win of Congress in Goa.
People have voted for the Congress despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi's hard campaigning in the state, it pointed out.
"The people of Goa, who voted against the BJP and other parties, will not accept that the BJP joins hands with those whom it criticised in the run-up to the polls," said the editorial.
"All of these parties which came together to form the government have gone against the wishes of people," it said.
On Parrikar, the Sena opined that either he had become a liability in the Modi government or he himself felt disillusioned by national politics and sought the comfort of his home state.
"Even when Parrikar was the Defence Minister, he spent more time in his home state and would issue empty threats to Pakistan."
The Sena asked Parrikar to remember that the BJP had been voted out by the people in the state and the latest developments were simply beyond the public expectations.
The Congress emerged as the single largest party by winning 17 out of the total 40 seats in the coastal state in the recent Assembly elections.
The BJP stood second by winning 13 seats. It formed the government after showing the support of 21 out of the 40 newly-elected MLAs.
In the elections, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and Goa Forward party won three seats each, and three other seats were bagged by independents. Besides, the NCP bagged one seat.
(With agencies)
