NEW DELHI: Slamming the new government in
Maharashtra as "illegitimate", the
Congress on Saturday termed the swearing-in of
BJP's
Devendra Fadnavis as chief minister a black chapter in India's democracy and alleged that the state governor did not make effort to verify his claims of having support of a majority of MLAs.
Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the BJP "scared" an "opportunist" Ajit Pawar, the NCP leader who has joined hands with the saffron party, and acted as "contract killer" of democracy.
Fadnavis had promised to put Ajit Pawar in jail but has made him deputy chief minister now, he said.
Surjewala posed a series of questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah over Maharashtra developments. Here are the ten questions asked by the party:
1. When did the BJP stake claim to form the government and who approached the governor?
2. How many BJP and NCP MLAs signed the letter of support?
3. How did the governor verify the signatures so late in the night and that too in just one hour?
4. At what time did the governor recommend revocation of President's rule?
5. At what time did the Union Cabinet hold its meeting last night and who all were present in the meeting? When did the cabinet ministers gave the nod to revoke President's rule?
6. When was Union Cabinet's recommendation to revoke President's rule sent to the President?
7. When did the President gave his assent to revoke President's Rule?
8. At what time did the governor invite Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar for the swearing-in ceremony?
9. When did the oath ceremony take place? Except a private news agency, why no one else, including Doordarshan and key officials such as the chief justice of Maharashtra, was invited to the ceremony?
10. Despite administering oath of office, why the governor didn't reveal when the Fadnavis government has to prove its majority?