NDA claims constitutional right to form Government

Vijay Deo Jha/Anupam Rana Ranchi August 25, 2008

It will not be cakewalk for the JMM as the State BJP joined the race to from the Government as it claimed to be the single largest party having 29 MLAs. Earlier, the party was in favour of the fresh mandate but now the top leaders of the party started brainstorming to meet Governor Syed Sibtey Razi to stake their claim.

BJP national vice-president Yaswant Sinha told the media Razi should invite the BJP for having the maximum MLAs in the 81-member House. "The Governor has no choice but to invite us to prove majority on the floor of Assembly," Sinha said, adding that other alternatives should be explored only after the party fails to prove majority in the Assembly.

Sinha, who was in Ranchi to chart out strategy for the next move of his party following resignation of the Madhu Koda, said as per the constitutional norms, the BJP has the first claim to form the Government in the State. According to Sinha, the BJP is the largest single party in the State and the Governor is duty-bound to invite the party for forming the Government.

He cited the example of Karnataka, where Governor Rameswar Thakur invited the BJP on the ground of being the single largest party in the House.Former Union Finance Minister said that the party is expecting that the Governor will refer the case of Karnataka. "Even after 24 hours of resignation of the Koda Government, the Governor has not taken any move or invited any party to prove majority on the floor of Assembly. Even the Governor has not taken any move for an alternative Government," Sinha said.

If the allies of the NDA are taken together, the BJP has 29 MLAs (this includes the five suspended MLAs) and JD(U) has four MLAs amounting to 33 which again require the support of another nine MLAs to gather the magic number (41). However, Sinha did not say anything about how would the party manage to win new friends to win the floor test. He said that the party would chart out future course of action if it receives invitation from the Governor. The way the JMM poached at least two suspended party MLAs of the BJP --- Vishnu Bhaiya and Manohar Tekriwal --- and learnt to be roping other MLAs of JD(U), it has put the BJP in alert mode. Sinha demanded that the Governor must not allow the defectors of other parties to sign the support letter without court affidavit.

About the five suspended MLAs of the party, the well-placed sources maintained that the party had almost completed the legal procedures against them. The party will move to Speaker Alamgir Alam to pressurise him to take appropriate decision to disqualify the BJP rebels.

In another major development in the camp of BJP, former Health Minister Dinesh Sarangi said the party has decided to launch Statewide agitation if the Governor fails to follow the established constitutionals norms in inviting the BJP for forming the next Government.

Saragi alleged that the Governor is being remote controlled by the Central Government. "It appears that Razi is dilly-dallying without valid reasons. If there is violation of the constitutional norms in the formation of the Government, then, the party will adopt legal, constitutional and political measures to seek justice," he added.

Senior BJP MLAs like Saryu Rai, Raghbar Das, CP Singh were camping in the State and holding series of meetings to counter the JMM. Former Speaker and Independent MLA Inder Singh Namdhari also participated in the NDA meeting.