Democracy being murdered: Congress on Manipur, Goa Govt. formations

New Delhi [India], Mar. 14(ANI): Accusing the Governors of Manipur and Goa of being subjected to manipulation by the Central Government, the Congress has claimed that the current political scenario in the states depicts the 'murder of democracy'. Speaking to ANI here on Monday, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, stated that it is a constitutional obligation of the Governor to first discuss the possibility of forming a government with the leading party; in this case, the Congress. "The Governor should first invite the Congress to come forward and provide them an opportunity to consider an alliance with the other contesting parties. However, the Governor has provided an opportunity to parties with fewer votes to form the government. This is a pressure-building tactic by the government at the centre," he said. Kharge further alleged that the Governors of the two states have been manipulated by the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) MLAs into forming a government, adding that this occurrence has been repeated in the past in other states. "The Central Government is influencing the decision of the Governors. Similar attempts in the past have failed in other stated like Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh. If this continues, democracy will cease to exist," added Kharge. Echoing similar opinions, Congress leader Meem Afzal accused the BJP of indulging in horse trading and misuse of the Indian constitution. Slamming the BJP, Afzal emphasised that the party is only pretending to be honest but in real reeks of dishonesty. The recently concluded assembly elections in five states saw the Congress taking center stage in Punjab with 77 seats in the 117-seat assembly. However, the BJP established a clear majority in Uttar Pradesh, with 325 seats out of 403, and 57 seats out of 70 in Uttarakhand. In Goa and Manipur, although the Congress was ahead, independent MLAs and other regional parties in the two states have announced to enter into an alliance with the BJP, thus giving them an opportunity to form the Government. (ANI)