Goa Governor S C Jamir on Thursday said Speaker Vishwas Satarkar's actions during Wednesday's trial of strength in the assembly were in 'blatant violation' of democratic norms and the Constitution.
This had forced him to dismiss the government, he said
A press communiqué, from the governor's Officer on Special Duty, Sebastian Zumvu, also criticised the speaker for getting Independent member of Legislative Assembly Filipe Neri Rodriguez 'physically removed' from the House for no justifiable reason and denying him his right as a member guaranteed to him under the Constitution.
"Any person who occupies the chair of the speaker should remain neutral and act in an impartial manner, and for all practical purposes, cease to be a member of any political party.
"But the action of the speaker in initiating disqualification proceedings in respect of Rodriguez was clearly with an ulterior motive to reduce the numerical strength of the Congress-led United Legislature Party," the comminique said.
It said the 'arbitrary manner' in which the Speaker conducted the vote of confidence was a 'complete sham and a mockery of parliamentary democracy'.
The governor 'was convinced that the conduct of proceedings in the assembly was absolutely chaotic and was a serious blot on democracy', the communiqué said. After weighing all facts and circumstances and after 'due obligation of mind', the governor dismissed the Parrikar government as per Article 164 of the Constitution.
At the same time, the communiqué said, the governor received a letter from the ULP, signed by 18 members, staking claim to form the government.
Convinced that the 18-member ULP 'is intact and can provide a stable government', the governor swore in Pratap Singh Rane as the chief minister.
The communiqué pointed out that while summoning the assembly on February 2, the governor had issued a directive to the speaker to conduct only the business to decide the motion by the chief minister seeking the vote of confidence.
But, the communiqué noted, the speaker issued a notice to Rodriguez to appear before him on Wednesday morning at 1000 IST in connection with a disqualification petition purported to be filed against him [Rodriguez].
It said though the governor convened the House only for a trial of strength through confidence vote, a review of the proceedings of the day, conducted under the Speaker, clearly indicated that prima facie business other than for which it was convened was also taken up before the House was prorogued.
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