Citing Arun Jaitley's Old Tweets, Congress Says Karnataka Governor Must Invite Coalition to Form Govt

New Delhi: The Congress party on Tuesday cited Arun Jaitley’s old tweets and quotes to justify its move to stake claim along with the JDS to form the government in Karnataka.

Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said that what was constitutionally right for the Governor to do in Goa, Meghalaya and Manipur, must also apply in Karnataka. She tagged a news report in which Jaitley said the governor is constitutionally right in case of a hung verdict in inviting the leader of the majority coalition.

Jaitley had tweeted in March last year, after the Goa election, "In a hung assembly, if majority of the elected MLAs form a coalition, the Governor would be constitutionally right in inviting the leader of the majority coalition to form the government and prove their majority within a short period."

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury also tweeted a screenshot of Jaitley’s old tweets, saying, “BJP govt appointed Governors didn’t invite Single Largest Party in either Goa, 2017 (INC, 17 out of 40 seats), Manipur 2017 (INC 28 of 60) or Meghalaya 2018 (INC 21 out of 60). Union ministers gave arguments supporting them. The precedent is there to follow, right? #Karnataka (sic).”

The Congress said the BJP's claim to form a government in Karnataka is demolished by three precedents in Goa, Manipur and Meghalaya.

Party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also cited the instance of BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee who was invited to form a government by the then president KR Narayanan, noting the guiding principle behind it was that a party or a combination of parties that has won the largest number of seats be invited.

"As Congress-JD(S) win 95 seats and lead in 20 seats, absolute majority for the coalition is clear. Coalition also has 56% vote share. Coalition leaders met Governor to stake claim as per established constitutional norms in Karnataka's interests," he said.

Surjewala said Narayanan had set a fair and constitutionally correct precedent by inviting Atal Bihari Vajpayee to form and lead a coalition government on 12th March, 1998.

He also cited the president's communique that "states clearly and is a guiding light which said that a combination of parties winning the most seats should be invited to form a government".

Rejecting the BJP's charge it was trying to come to power through the backdoor, the party also cited the cases of Goa, Manipur, Meghlaya, where the Congress could not form government despite emerging as the largest party and

"BJP's claim of single largest party' to be invited is demolished by 3 recent precedents set by them-: (1) Goa (March 2017) Assembly Strength - 40. Congress - 17. BJP - 12. BJP was invited to form the Govt by Governor in a post poll coalition BJP+MGP+GFP," he tweeted.

"(2) Manipur (March 2017) Assembly Strength - 60. Congress - 28. BJP - 21. BJP was invited to form the Govt by Governor in a post poll coalition. So much so, 1 independent MLA was detained at Imphal Airport through security agencies & handed over to BJP," he wrote in another tweet.

"(3) Meghalaya (March 2018) Assembly Strength - 60. Congress - 21. BJP - 2. BJP was invited to form the Govt by Governor in post poll coalition with NPEP+UDP+PDF+HSDPDP," he said on Twitter.