PANAJI: Goa Congress chief Girish Chodankar on Sunday claimed that the Bombay High Court's recent order regarding the Assembly speaker's ruling on the disqualification of 12 MLAs will give the license to open defection", and in future, any "capitalist" will form a political party by buying out two-third of the MLAs.
He was responding to the high court's order dated February 24 that upheld the Goa Assembly Speaker's order dismissing two petitions seeking disqualification of 12 MLAs who had left their respective parties and joined the ruling BJP in 2019.
Chodankar had filed a disqualification petition against 10 party MLAs who switched over to the BJP in July 2019. Another petition was filed by MGP MLA Sudin Dhavalikar.
Addressing a press conference in Panaji on Sunday, Chodankar claimed, "the High Court regarding the disqualification of ten MLAs has given license to open defection, and in future, any capitalist will form political parties and get 2/3rd MLAs without contesting elections and will take control over Goa and the nation".
The basic concept of democratic process and Constitution is under attack as the interpretation by the High Court virtually permits or legalises horse-trading in the House, he alleged.
Chodankar said that though he respects the order of the High Court, it has raised many questions which need to be answered either by the Supreme Court or Parliament has to take a call on it.
"The Congress party will never allow the wrong precedence to be set in the country as it is not just the matter about Goa but it is all about the democratic fabric of our country based on which the governments work," he said.
The Congress leader said that the process to challenge the HC order in the Supreme Court has begun.
He appealed to all political parties to fight the HC's order for the "existence of political parties and democratic norms".