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A string of political frauds

The last time he survived a confidence vote in the Assembly, in July 2007, Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat needed extra-constitutional help from Speaker Pratapsinh Rane. This time, in the face of another crisis situation for the Congress-led government he is heading, Mr. Kamat has turned to Governor S.C. Jamir for help beyond the provisions of the Constitution. By proroguing the Assembly on the advice of the Cabinet, even before the House could pass the Appropriation Bill, the Governor was clearly buying political time for the Kamat government. With three members of the Nationalist Congress Party and one Independent withdrawing support, a defeat in the vote on the Bill would have been fatal for the seven-month-old government. By getting the Assembly prorogued, and not merely adjourned sine die, the government achieved two things: first, there will now be a longer interval between now and the next sitting of the House, and secondly, the decision-making power on convening the House is taken out of the hands of the Speaker, whose son Vishwajit Rane is the Independent who withdrew support. In political bargaining, time is of the essence, and it remains to be seen if the carrot-and-stick method of mixing appeasement with threats will pay dividends. The four dissidents are the target of intense negotiations, with the national leadership of the NCP warning its MLAs of disqualification under the anti-defection law. In the event of these manoeuvres succeeding, the tottering government may well get a fresh lease of life.

No matter how this political drama plays out, the Governor’s blatantly partisan decision is cause for serious concern. Mr. Jamir conspired with the government to delay a floor test when the proper course of action would have been to expedite such a test as the government’s majority was clearly in doubt. By acting as a political agent of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance ruling at the Centre, Mr. Jamir has again revived the debate on the proper constitutional role of the Governor in a federal set-up. Although the Supreme Court through the Bommai judgment has effectively put an end to any blatant misuse of Article 356, the post of the Governor remains a potential instrument for political mischief. Each time the Kamat government survives a crisis, it is the Constitution that takes a beating. Even if Mr. Kamat overcomes the current difficulties, it is only a matter of time before another crisis overtakes the rickety coalition that he heads. In its desperation to cling to power, the Congress-led government is putting the Constitution and legislative procedures continually to test in Goa.

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