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SHOWDOWN TIME FOR CONGRESS AND BJP IN GOA
Sujay Gupta
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070020753&ch=7/30/2007%208:30:00%20AM
Monday, July 30, 2007 (Panaji)
Its showdown time for the Congress and the BJP in Goa as the fate of the
Digambar Kamat-government will be decided on the floor of the state
Assembly.
The Congress-led alliance was in power for just 51
days before it was reduced to a minority on Thursday after three MLAs
of the coalition withdrew support and one resigned.
In a state that is notorious for politicians switching sides, leaders on
both
sides of the political equation in Goa have tried to keep their flock
together with the BJP moving all its Goa MLAs to Delhi over the weekend
to prevent defections.
Town planning
The people of Goa however, are worried about the fall of the government.
This is not
because they care about the chief minister or his government but
because it could bring to power the man who could wreck Goa with his
regional plan.
The architect of the plan, former town planning
minister Babush Monseratte is now trying to prop up an alternate
government in Goa and seems to have roped in some of his bitter
enemies.
The BJP leader, who until a month ago, didn't want power if he didn't have
the numbers is now on the same side as Babush.
''We are very clear. If we are getting anything less than 20, we are not
ruling. I will sit in the opposition,'' Manohar Parrikar had said on
May 30.
But in stark contradiction, Parrikar now says, ''Just
because people have differences that does not mean we can't work things
out. Nobody will have anything to complain about.''
However this alliance of Parrikar and Monseratte has alarmed the Goa Bachao
Andolan, the movement that forced the government to withdraw the
controversial plan that would convert almost all of Goa's open spaces
for real estate.
''There is definitely a fear that the ex minister for town planning maybe on
board. This is a reality that is
disturbing,'' said Dean D'cruz, Planning Expert.
The Goa government crisis meanwhile has turned out to be President Pratibha
Patil's first brush with politics after taking over the high office.
