State News And Discussion - 3

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Sources said that Congress could face a problem in court because the Tenth Schedule, under which the Speaker has taken the decision of interim disqualification, recognises only "legislature party" and not a political party. This means that under the Tenth Schedule, the two MGP MLAs are recognised as the party in the Assembly and not their larger political party. Sources said that Dhavlikar brothers, who would try to get a stay against disqualification from the high court, could contend on this basis that they were well within their right to withdraw support.

The term "defection", under the Anti-Defection Laws, is used only if one-third of the legislature party's MLAs cross over to the other side. In this case, the two MGP MLAs constitute 100 per cent of their legislature party in Goa. A senior Congress leader said: "Another aspect that could go against the party is the 'interim order'. This could raise doubts over the intentions of the Speaker."
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