Cong manifesto promises six-member cabinet
SANDESH PRABHUDESAI, PANAJI | 28 May 1999 12:31 ISTMaintaining mysterious silence over the possibility of forming the government with the help of defectors in case of a hung Assembly, the Congress in Goa today released its election manifesto, promising a cabinet of not more than six members.
Releasing the manifesto, Madhavrao Scindia, the AICC general secretary in-charge of Goa, has also assured to set up the manifesto implementation committee at local level, which would regularly keep the high command informed about the progress.
"We have laid special stress on combating the areas which led to instability and the legislators getting defamed in the past", said Scindia in his opening remarks. But he could not provide any satisfactory replies to series of questions asked by the mediapersons on party’s stand on not allowing or encouraging defections.
"The Congress will not encourage defections", states the manifesto while also assuring to pursue with the centre amendment to the anti-defection act so as to make the defector automatically disqualified. But the mediapersons did not appear satisfied since Congress has always formed governments with the help of defectors from other parties.
"Do not ask me hypothetical questions. The Congress would win with majority" was the standard reply of Scindia to a repeated question of the mediamen that why no firm assurance is not being given on entertaining defectors if the Congress really "sincerely intends to combat the past" as Scindia claims.
The issue of defections becomes significant as far as the Congress is concerned since Goa has witnessed 10 chief ministers in last nine years, all of whom were the Congressmen either leading the party governments or toppling the governments and splitting from the party to form coalition governments with the opposition.
Despite being fully aware that people at large in Goa are fed up with defections, which is the prime cause of instability for two terms consecutively, the central leadership finally chose to give tickets to most of the defectors. People who have been denied tickets have now revolted, either by contesting as independents or other regional parties fielding them as their candidates.
Altering the Goa’s election manifesto in Delhi, Scindia now claims that Mrs Gandhi is keen on implementing measures like restricting the size of the cabinet to not more that 15 per cent of the strength of the 40-member House.
The manifesto now includes promises like MLAs declaring their assets, though none of the Congress legislator followed this provision of the Public Men’s Corruption (Investigations and Enquiries) Act. These MLAs would also declare it once again, says Scindia, before facing next elections.
In order to prevent misuse of ministerial powers by the Congress legislators, the manifesto also assures that the discretionary powers of the ministers would be made public periodically through official publications. They also talk of amending the Public Men’s Corruption Act as well as the Right to Information Act, to make it more effective.
