Panaji,  The Goa BJP on Tuesday said that former state Governor Satya Pal Malik had exceeded the boundaries of decorum and urged him to first resign from the constitutional post, before passing adverse remarks about a democratically elected government.

 

The tough positioning of the state BJP comes a day after Malik, who is currently the Governor of Meghalaya while speaking to a national news channel on Monday, accused the BJP-led coalition government in Goa of indulging in rampant corruption even when the pandemic was at its peak.

"I only have to say (to Malik) that do not criticise my government while occupying a constitutional post. Resign first and then say whatever you want," BJP state general secretary Damu Naik told a press conference in Panaji on Tuesday.

"A person holding the post of a Governor has behaved in an unconstitutional manner. He currently occupies the post of Governor (of Meghalaya). He has behaved unconstitutionally and blabbered incessantly. This is wrong. If there was something wrong, the Governor should have sent a report to the home ministry," Naik further said.

Naik's comment comes on a day when all opposition parties, including the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and the Trinamool Congress in Goa demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant over Malik's statement. Malik had said that corruption was evident in "any and everything" in Goa and also accused the state government of graft in handing out rations to the people of the state during the lockdown last year.

Leaders from the Trinamool Congress and Goa Forward party also submitted a memorandum to Governor P.S. Sreedharan urging him to sack the Sawant-led cabinet, even as AAP workers were arrested for staging a protest in Panaji to demand the resignation of the Chief Minister.

Naik however claimed that the demands made by the opposition were outlandish and added that there was a conspiracy behind Malik's comments.

"Why (did he say this) with just one month to go for the elections? Who is behind this? Whose conspiracy is this? He did not raise this issue when he was Governor. Did we put a tape on his mouth at that time?" Naik said.