Puducherry Lt Governor directs CM to prove majority on Feb 22

The Congress government in theUnion Territory will have to prove its majority in theassembly on February 22 with Lt Governor TamilisaiSoundararajan on Thursday ordering the floor test, hours afterassuming charge vowing to function in accordance with theConstitution.

The development came days after a ruling party MLAresigned, becoming the fourth to quit the assembly since lastmonth, bringing down the numbers of the Congress-DMK allianceto 14 in the 33-member House with an effective strength of 28.

Soundararajan, the Telangana Governor handed additionalcharge of the UT on Tuesday following the removal of KiranBedi, issued the direction to Chief Minister V Narayanasamyafter the opposition, which also has 14 MLAs, petitioned her,saying the government has been reduced to minority and itshould prove its strength on the floor of the assembly.

Narayanasamy earlier in the day attended Soundararajan'sswearing-in and also called on her later.

The present party position in the assembly: Congress(ten, including Speaker), DMK three, All-India NR Congressseven, AIADMK four, BJP three (all nominated with votingrights) and one independent who has supported the governmentall along. Four Congress MLAs have resigned and one memberhad been disqualified.

The simple majority in the assembly with the reducedstrength is 15.

The opposition has been demanding the resignation ofNarayansamy since Tuesday, when his confidante John Kumar quitas MLA.

Narayansamy has rejected the demand, saying he enjoyedmajority even as the Congress, eyeing to retain power in theassembly elections, has been jolted by the spate ofresignations, including by two ministers.

Polls are likely in April and the House's term ends onJune 8.

Soundararajan's direction to Narayansamy for a trust votecame after the opposition, led by the Leader of the Oppositionin the assembly and All India NR Congress (AINRC) chief NRangasamy, 'reiterated' its stand that the government has toprove its majority on the floor of the House, a release fromthe Lt.Governor's Secretariat here said.

''They averred that the present government has beenreduced to a minority and lost its legitimacy to continue,''the release said, adding Rangasamy, AIADMK Legislature PartyLeader A Anbalagan and BJP' state president V Saminathan, MLA,met her in this connection.

Issuing directions to Narayansamy in ''exercise of thepowers conferred under Art 239 of the Constitution read withthe provisions of the Government of Union Territories Act,1963, in particular section 6,'' the Lt Governor said theassembly shall be summoned on February 22.

She said the meeting shall be confined to a ''single''agenda, ''namely whether the government of the incumbent ChiefMinister continues to enjoy the confidence of the House.'' Voting shall take place by show of hands and the entireproceedings be videographed, the release said.

''The floor test in pursuance of the above directionsshall be concluded by 5 pm on 22.02.2021 and the proceedingsshall not be adjourned/delayed or suspended at any cost,'' itsaid.

All authorities should ensure there was no breach oflaw and order and that the floor test was peaceful.

The Lt Governor has also directed that proper law andorder arrangements shall be made during the conduct of the''trust vote,'' the release said.

Earlier in the day, Chief Justice of the Madras HighCourt Sanjib Banerjee administered the oath of office toSoundararajan, who hails from nearby Tamil Nadu and becamethe fifth woman to hold the Lt Governor post here, at a simplefunction at the Raj Nivas, where she took the oath in Tamil.

Later, addressing reporters, she said ''I know what arethe powers of a Governor, powers of Lt Governor and ChiefMinister, of elected members and officers.'' The Congress government was at loggerheads withSoundararajan's predecessor Bedi and had accused her ofimpeding implementation of decisions of the electedgovernment.

On the opposition plea with the LG's office on Wednesdayseeking a direction to the CM to prove majority in theassembly in the wake of the ruling party's depleted strength,Soundararajan said: ''I am aware of this...

''...I will go through the representation thoroughly inkeeping with the provisions of the Constitution, she said,adding, she would ''hold the scales even.'' PTI CORR SAVS VS