BJP has no respect for democracy: Goa Congress

 Defending its decision to stake a claim to form the government in Goa, the Congress today said the ruling BJP has very little respect for democracy.

"The way BJP MPs Shripad Naik and Narendra Sawaikar condemned our action of meeting the governor and submitting the letter, it indicates that the party (BJP) has scant respect for the democracy in the country," state Congress spokesperson Yatish Naik said here.

He was referring to a press conference held by the two MPs yesterday after Congress leaders met the governor and demanded that Congress should be invited to form the government, being the single largest party.

The Congress was only "advising the governor to follow the precedent set by her counterpart in Karnataka and rectify the mistake which she made in 2017 when we were not invited to form the government despite being the single largest party", Naik said.

"We are still the single largest party in the Assembly and I see no reason for the governor to refuse our demand," he said, when asked whether governor Mridula Sinha would entertain the party's claim.

"In democracy, it is allowed to submit a memorandum to the governor. If our action of submitting a letter is being criticised, it means the BJP does not respect democracy," he said.

The Congress emerged as the single largest party in the last year's elections in Goa, but fell short of a majority. The governor invited the BJP to form the government which enlisted the support of some of the smaller parties.

Naik also said that the BJP should "condemn the headless government running in the state for the last two months, no cabinet meetings being held for the last two months and collapse of the administration".

Chief minister Manohar Parrikar is undergoing medical treatment in the USA for the last two months.