The chronology of events, as told by Faleiro, of how Vijai ditched them
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 17 March 2017 22:55 IST
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Luizinho Faleiro had alleged that Goa Forward leader Vijai Sardesai and independent MLA Rohan Khaunte ditched the Congress because they had a secret pre-poll alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
He also said that the meeting of chief minister Manohar Parrikar and GF leader Vijai has been admitted by Parrikar himself in an interview with NDTV and MLA Michael Lobo to another media.
In a press conference today, the Navelim MLA also dismissed the claim of Vijai that he had to support the BJP government because the Congress had delayed electing the CLP leader.
On the contrary, he claimed, the Congress had decided the CLP leader who was acceptable to Vijai and his Goa Forward team.
“I decided to sacrifice me becoming the chief minister because people had given a mandate for secular government”, said Faleiro.
He also informed the media that Goa Forward was brought into talks at the suggestion made by Congress high command observer Digvijay Singh in spite of Congress having 21 MLAs with them on the night of 11th March.
He also disclosed that Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi personally spoke to Vijai on phone and he promised to support the Congress government.
Following is the chronology of events Faleiro releaed to the media:
- Three days before the Elections Results, Vijai Sardesai, a self-proclaimed protector of Goem Goenkar and Goenkarponn made two statements that left Goans Confused. The man who built his reputation by criticizing Manohar Parrikar and the BJP Govt made a statement that Parrikar is a Good man. The further goes on to say that Congress will take 5 days to select their leader. Little did Goans know that the second statement was a start of a marketing campaign to convince Goans that joining the Corrupt BJP was a better option than forming government with the Congress party that had promised Goans that they would scrap Casinos, scrap IPB and all the other draconian anti-Goan policies brought by the previous BJP Govt.
- On the day of the counting, Michael Lobo, after being declared as the winner, made a statement before the media saying that BJP will form the Govt with Vijai. He stated that Vijai had four meetings with them before the results and that he is confident that BJP will form the Govt. He also stated that he has support of the two Goa Forward MLAs of Siolim and Saligao.
- That evening, all the Congress MLAs could not reach the Congress House, Panjim. However, the leaders spoke to independent MLAs who has extended their support. However, for the government to be stable, the leaders felt the need of support from the 3 Goa Forward MLAs
- On 11th night, Digambar Kamat along with AICC leaders Digvijay Singh and Venugopal Rao met Vijai Sardesai at his residence where they agreed to Vijai’s terms for supporting the Congress party (so long as Luizinho Faleiro is not the CM). Digvijay also made Rahul Gandhi speak with Vijai Sardesai so that the latter is satisfied that his demands will be met.
- On 12th March, the CLP met at Congress House where they selected a CLP leader which would be acceptable to Vijai Sardesai. At 2.30 pm, Goa Forward mentors (not members) Dr Francisco Colaco, Datta Naik, Cleofato Coutinho and Shridhar Kamat met the Congress delegations to finalise the agreement.
- However, information was received that Vijai had already finalized alliance with the BJP and that they are on their way to Raj Bhavan.
- BJP released Letter of support to the BJP from Goa Forward stating their support, provided Manohar Parrikar will be made the CM.
- Goa Forward which claimed they wanted to support the Congress never gave any such letter to the Congress. This shows that they never had any intention of aligning with the Congress.
- Upon hearing the news, the Goa Forward Mentors left dejected. The Goa Forward President Prabhakar Timble resigned.
- Vijai Sardesai went public stating that because Congress didn’t select their CM, he chose to support BJP. This was a complete lie meant to mislead the public.
- On 14th March, Congress led a delegation to the Governor to stake claim to form the government.
- BJP Govt was sworn in.
- That evening, Manohar Parrikar made a statement in the news (NDTV) that before the result day Vijai had come to him and told him that if Parrikar heads the BJP Govt, he will support BJP to form the government.
NEIL RANGEL
Dude, you stay put in UAE. Don't worry about us too much, We are good in Goa. These kinds of things are routinely happening in Goa; in fact, in the past during congress rule, worst things have happened.
You take care of yourself dear in the 'Shaikh Land', democracy there is a paragon of hope.
CALLING FOR DISMISSAL OF THE GOVERNOR AND GOVERNMENT... is a must, your absolutely correct...
How can the politicians change positions and places.
Show the people's power to these greedy politicians.
this is dictatorship not democracy.
(CURRENTLY IN UAE/ 00 971 558954717)
CALLING FOR DISMISSAL OF THE GOVERNOR AND GOVERNMENT
It is now the moral and constitutional responsibility of the President to deliver justice to the people of Goa - to dismiss not just the Governor but also the entire BJP government. Absolutely outrageous is the Goa Governor's admission of having contacted Mr Arun Jaitley on what decision to take - akin to insider trading which would have set in motion the political horse-trading that undoubtedly must have take place before the BJP was invited to form the government - everything having been fixed like a cricket-match! The Governor gets the go ahead from the centre after the BJP central command has made doubly sure that they can secure the support they need. There is reason to believe that this horse-trading was initiated well before the election results and that Mr Parrikar's resignation was also well planned. This is an extremely serious breach of propriety and of responsibility and a clear indication for the President to dismiss not just the Governor but also the entire BJP government in Goa.
The elections have been a disaster for the honest Goan from all fronts. Bad enough that the legislature has been taken over in a case of broad daylight robbery by political thugs with no ethics or conscience of any kind. Worse; two constitutional authorities have failed to defend the constitution when called upon to do so - the Goa governor and the Supreme Court itself. The silence of the President of the country is inexplicable. I am not an INC supporter but the election results did give the INC the mandate to attempt to form the government and in a democratic setup that we claim to have; they should have first been invited first.
The issue at stake is morals and ethics in politics and public life and Mr. Parrikar and the BJP has proven to the Goan people he has very little of these. Everything(engineering U-turns by the independents and smaller parties) seems planned with a brazen attempt to grab power at all costs. What has happened is nothing but an assault on and the murder of democracy and the Supreme Court ruling is unknowingly party to this. The Supreme court judgment has failed to safeguard the Indian Constitution and its high ideals. It would have been better for the Supreme Court to play the role of Governor as the Governor cannot do her job in such a circumstance. This Supreme Court judgment is flawed and has not been helpful on this - an opportunity was lost to set a healthy precedent for future similar electoral outcomes in states in the future. The judge it seems is too naive and does not understand how dirty Indian politics is and how crooked and calculating perpetrators of this filth are. Judges are bound to uphold democratic principles - not a mob like system where the fastest rogue gets the prize. This is not a rat race. This judgment simply missed the point that the constitutional principle is not about who rushed first but about who should have been called first. Quoted in an article; the eminent jurist Fali Nariman - He said that: " the Constitution as well as judicial precedents laid down that the Governor was obligated to call the leader of the single largest party first to form the government..". The silence of the honorable President of the country is deafening - wonder what may be wrong. He has a solemn obligation to protect and safeguard the Constitution and honest citizens against abuses by unscrupulous elements in power.
The judgment is an open invitation for future political horse-trading in a primitive political system that's flooded with opportunistic crooks and political turncoats - what can now be called the golden age of political pimping and political prostitution - analogous to a situation where a crooked pimp entices a dishonest prostitute to go to bed with him; by leaving on the sly in the middle of the night despite the client having paid the full price. Off course; no marks for guessing which politicians in Goa fit these descriptions. Hopefully these terms will gain more widespread acceptance and politicians will be labeled as such for all to know how crooked they are.
Goa has the misfortune of having a subservient BJP stooge as a Governor - she recently endorsed the local BJP stand that the sacred coconut tree is no different from grass than can be chopped down at will; does not matter that they have hurt the religious sentiments of many concerned Hindus in Goa . One often wonders if she has a moral spine or any reasonable intellect. She should have refused to give assent to the legislation damning the coconut tree and in these elections; she should have invited the INC to attempt to form the government. The President must dismiss such Governors.
This election has also had its fair share of money power being used for votes. The outcome of the FIR filed against one MLA(well known for his habit of distributing 500 INR Goa Bagayatdar grocery coupons through his cronies/panchayat members to the greedy) will be a test case for the efficacy of the election commission and the investigating agencies in our democracy. It is an open fact that these were being distributed this time even after the code of conduct came into effect. The good thing we are told is that many Goans did not accept them.
I am no supporter of the INC but their leaders cannot be blamed - this is not a rat-race for time as the judge makes it out to be - we pride ourselves of being a mature democracy; but the judge should have insisted that in all fairness; the Governor should have first called the party with the largest share of elected representatives to form the government and prove their majority within a specified time-frame.
Goans now have a failed defense minister as chief minister. Worse he's an insult to all those who accompanied him to the candle-light vigil against the casinos many years back when he was in the opposition.
I call on all concerned Goans to continuously protest in large numbers in a peoples power movement. Crooks have to be shown the door. This Governor should be dismissed as she cannot uphold democratic principles.
Urgent electoral reforms are needed. The electoral system in India is too primitive for a democracy - neither free nor fair. Newcomers cannot face the muscle-money power of crooks. Effective measures have to be in place to make an election corruption-free. The ruling governments should resign 3 months before elections to have a free and fair process. There has to be a run-off between two leading candidates if any one does not receive more than 50% of the vote or else you land up with what we have now - a 31 % prime minister. All religious-communal parties should be not only banned but disbanded in keeping with the secular framework of the country. The Governor should first invite the party with the largest number of winning candidates, to attempt to form a stable government. Politicians must have a basic recognized degree or diploma- every job requires some qualifications - the qualifications must be attested or else one ends up with the situation of the current prime minister who many have reason to believe, may not have a genuine educational qualification he claims to have. Lastly there must be a law to disqualify an politician who engineers defections or U-turns. And any elected MLA/MP who resigns his post should be made to pay for the entire expenses of not just a recently conducted election in that constituency but also the by-election that will follow- a just deterrent against this madness -be barred from contesting till he pays up . This should be applied to the Valpoi MLA from Goa who just resigned within days of the election..
Goans loves Congress & BJP and hence they have given 30 Seats for both of them.
Congress-17 Seats & BJP-13 Seats = Total 30 Seats.
Goans does not need honest AAP.