Hold a floor test in Goa

The Congress’ demand that the BJP-led government in Goa be asked to submit to a floor test, following chief minister Manohar Parrikar’s absence due to serious illness, is valid on first principles, and governor Mridula Sinha should lose no time in accepting it. When Leader of the Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar met the governor on Tuesday with this demand, she said she would let him know in the next three-four days. This seems constitutionally odd as there are doubts about the BJP’s ability to manage its allies in Mr Parrikar’s absence.

After the last Assembly election, it is the Congress that was the first party in the legislature, though falling short of the numbers to form a government on its own. The governor provided a whiff of partisanship as she rushed to accept the claims of the BJP, the second party, which had managed to cobble together a coalition once invited by the governor to form the government.

With Mr Parrikar away for treatment, the BJP leadership is unsure on who to name to stand in for him. Zeroing in on a substitute or replacement can ruffle feathers within the BJP. It’s also not certain that the person can command the loyalty of allies. The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party has already hinted its leader be allowed to step into Mr Parrikar’s shoes, rather than a BJP MLA.

In view of this fluid situation, the Congress has placed a perfectly democratic demand before the governor. The Congress has also asked that the legislature not be dissolved and it be given a chance to form the government. Any delay by the governor to have the government’s strength tested on the Assembly’s floor will hurt the spirit of democracy.