http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=72068
Goa Cong may deny NCP its pound of flesh
RAJU NAYAK
Posted online: Friday, June 10, 2005 at 0156 hours IST
PANAJI, JUNE 9: It appears that only seven Congress MLAs will be sworn in
tomorrow in Goa despite the Nationalist Congress Party's reported threat
to withdraw support to the Pratapsinh Rane government if a second NCP MLA
is not accommodated.
With this expansion, the strength of the three-day-old Rane ministry will
rise to 10. The support of the two-member NCP is crucial to the Congress,
which has 18 MLAs and enjoys a slender majority.
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If the Congress does not accommodate the second NCP MLA, Micky Pacheco,
and the party pulls out, Goa may be plunged into fresh political
uncertainty. The NCP has said it intends to team up with the BJP and MGP
to form an alternative government - it was in talks with them last week.
Unfazed by the NCP threat, Goa Congress chief Ravi Naik today said seven
MLAs would be sworn in tomorrow. He refused to announce their names.
Naik said two positions have been kept vacant: one will be reserved for
Filip Neri Rodrigues, the independent member whose case of
disqualification is pending in the court. He refused to name the other
beneficiary.
Earlier, state NCP chief and cabinet member Dr Wilfred D'Souza raised the
political stakes by saying his party would pull out if Pacheco is not
inducted tomorrow.
The Congress high command is reportedly opposed to another NCP member
being accommodated when D'Souza has already been made deputy chief
minister. D'Souza responds by saying the decision to induct Pacheco was
taken at the highest level and the NCP will pull out if this is not done.
Naik counters that the Goa Congress has nothing to do with the move and it
needs to be sorted out at the national level.
Digamber Kamat, Babush Monserrate, Pandurang Madaikar and some
newly-elected MLAs are likely to be sworn in along with Dayanand Narvekar,
Luizinho Faleiro and Subhash Shirodkar. Jeetendra Deshprabhu or Ms
Victoria Fernandes are likely to join them on the podium tomorrow.
