http://www.indianexpress.com/iep/sunday/story/263415.html
Kamat Govt survives, but loose ends remain Express News Service Posted online: Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 2338 hrs Print Email New Delhi/Panaji, January 19:The three-day old crisis facing the Digambar Kamat Government in Goa, caused by the resignation of NCP ministers, looked set to blow over with the Central leadership of the Congress and NCP on Saturday arriving at a compromise formula with rebels in New Delhi. The formula comprises a Cabinet reshuffle, setting up of a coordination committee and "proportionate" power sharing arrangements in the context of appointments to Government-controlled boards, corporations and agencies. Kamat has been asked to work out the specifics of portfolio allocation in consultation with parties concerned. Ramkrishna Dhavalikar of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) will be inducted in the Cabinet. "The crisis is resolved. The Chief Minister will go back to Goa and then announce the formula," AICC general secretary in charge of Goa B K Hari Prasad told The Sunday Express. NCP leader Praful Patel also said the crisis had been resolved. "All NCP MLAs, MGP MLAs, Independent Vishwajit Rane and Save Goa Front member have decided to support the Digamber Kamat Government," Patel said. "All matters have been solved," he said. Patel made the announcement in the presence of Kamat, Hari Prasad, state Congress chief Francisco Sardinha, rebel NCP leader Mickky Pacheco, Independent MLA Vishwajit Rane and two MGP MLAs. Despite the compromise, there remain some loose ends to be tied in Panaji. One of the powerful dissidents, Atanasio Monserrate, told The Sunday Express, "There should not be any Cabinet expansion. We are already supporting the Government and will continue to do it unconditionally." Sources among dissidents said there was also a division in the dissident MLAs' camp. A section of them was more opposed to Rane (Independent) and Pacheco than to the Chief Minister. "The culprit behind the crisis is Vishwajit Rane. He started this to make his father Chief Minister," Monserrate told The Sunday Express. According to him, Vishwajit Rane had teamed up with the BJP to make his father Pratapnsinh Rane the CM offering plum posts to himself and other MLAs. The elder Rane is the Speaker of the Assembly. Monserrate has now told Kamat that he was happy with the Government and Kamat could keep the team of his choice. Monserrate group is supporting Churchill Alemao who may get to keep his PWD portfolio. As per a deal being worked out by Monserrate and Kamat, the former would quit the UGDP and contest from his Taleigao Assembly seat on a Congress ticket. * * * http://www.navhindtimes.com/articles.php?Story_ID=01192 Politicians are playing games at our cost: aam aadmi NT News Service Margao, Jan 18 Even as a distraught Congress was doing its best to salvage a government, on the brink with equally adamant rebels sticking to their guns, the aam aadmi was reduced to a mere spectator in the game of one-upmanship amongst the political leaders. A quick reality check revealed that the common man was watching the tamasha enacted by its elected representative, from a distance, with much amusement and disdain. Scoffing at the turn of events in the last couple of days, the man on street ridiculed the perverse and selfish politics practiced by their legislators. The common man blamed the small parties including the independents for the current bout of instability stalking the State. "Only one party government can give stability to the State," said a motorcycle pilot, Mr Ramdas Salgaonkar. Criticizing those in power, Mr Salgoankar, who plies his bike from the old station road, Margao, blamed smaller parties and independents for the political stalemate, in the State. The politics of greed and personal agenda prompted an omlette-walla, Mr Shekhar Churi to say thus: "These politicians play games at our cost. After getting them elected we are reduced to non-entity." He blamed the public for not giving a proper mandate for a single party. According to Mr Suresh Tirodkar a hair-stylist, in the New Market, re-election was the only answer for stability and good governance. Politicians who have tendency to change parties should be banned from contesting at least for one term, Mr Tirodkar opined. The common man, although sympathetic to the Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat, criticized him for parting away with two crucial portfolios with his colleagues. "Home and finance always remains with the head of state," the motorcycle pilot, Mr Salgaonkar said and wondered whether it was one of the reasons for the present political drama. Mr Tirodkar, the hair-stylist also concurred with the view of the motorcycle pilot and expected the key portfolios to remain with the chief minister. The omlette-walla, Mr Churi discovered that the chief minister was trying to please everyone in the government. "A chief minister should be firm and fearless in his decision. He should not care for the chair," Mr Churi emphasized. Ms Bostian, a fisher-folk at the SGPDA market had only "swear" words for the elected representatives of the State. Not bothering to respond at the ongoing political upheaval in the State, she said: "We don't have provision of water to even sprinkle some on our eyes, leave alone drink." She further criticized the chief minister for having two fish markets in close vicinity, referring to the wholesale SGPDA fish market across the road.
