Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday criticised the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party government over the ongoing political crisis in Karnataka and Goa. Chidambaram said the recent developments had “gravely damaged” democracy, and that they were likely to have an impact on the economy.
“What have we seen in Karnataka, what we are seeing in Goa?” Chidambaram asked in the Rajya Sabha. “They appear to be political one-upmanship but I think it has a very damaging effect on the economy. Foreign investors, rating agencies and international organisations do not read Indian newspapers and do not watch the tamed Indian television channels.”
The Congress leader said whatever the international organisations hear and read about the political instability in the country “will have an impact on the economy”. “Our only wish is that the ruling party takes note of this,” he said. “If they think that they are advancing their political goals, I think at the same time they are doing a great disservice to the economic goals of this country.”
Earlier, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma also raised concerns about the political situation in the two states, calling it an “assault on democracy”, according to PTI. He also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of being the reason behind Karnataka and Goa’s political crisis.
However, Union minister Prakash Javadekar countered Sharma saying how could the saffron party be held responsible when the Congress does not have a president? A few Congress lawmakers walked out of the House in protest against the situation in Karnataka and Goa, but came back during discussions on the Budget.
The Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka has been going through a political turmoil after a series of resignations from rebel lawmakers. The coalition faces the threat of losing its majority in the Karnataka Assembly if the resignations are accepted.
The current tally of the coalition government is 116 in the 224-member House. If the resignations of the 16 MLAs are accepted by the Speaker on Thursday evening, the tally will be reduced to 100.
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