G7 in Mumbai, likely to abstain
PANJIM, APRIL 5
Realising that the Congress High Command is not keen in giving in to their demands, the restive Group of Seven (G7) non-Congress MLAs was camping in Mumbai to complain to central leader of NCP Praful Patel even as an emergency Cabinet meeting convened by the Chief Minister Digambar Kamat on Tuesday at 10 am sparked off speculation Monday evening.
The ministers were intimated about tomorrow (Tuesday’s) cabinet meeting at around 5 pm and that too without any clear-cut agenda.
Immediately, the rumour mill was at work with speculations running high that the chief minister may go in for dissolution of the assembly.
To add spice to the speculation were reports that the chief minister has an appointment with the Governor at 10.45 am. This added grist to the rumour mill.
However, sources close to the chief minister have vehementally denied such a move saying that Congress doesn’t believe in running away from the situation created by G7.
In the political circles, reports were doing the rounds as to why the chief minister has convened an emergency cabinet meeting.
On the other hand, G7 ministers who are in Mumbai, in all likelihood, will boycott the Cabinet, for the second time within three weeks.
“As we are in Mumbai, we may not be able to attend the Cabinet meeting”, said Revenue Minister Jose Philip D’Souza who is the leader of three-member NCP legislative wing.
The late evening information was that the cabinet meet is slated to discuss the sports policy but other issues are also likely to come up, sources said.
RESTLESS: Feeling restless and agitated the G7 members, on getting no intimation from Congress, left for Mumbai but till late evening, they couldn’t have an audience with Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel.
“Due to some busy schedule, Patel reached Mumbai at night,” a source said adding that they will meet him late night or Tuesday morning.
Sources said G7 members will register protest against the Congress for not keeping its word of getting back to them on their demands.
After the Congress-NCP Coordination Committee on March 31 in New Delhi, the Congress had informed them that they would take up their demands with party President Mrs Sonia Gandhi.
G7 members now feel that the Congress is testing their patience and giving the excuse that they have not been able to speak to Mrs Gandhi till now.
Sources said G7 has got the message that the Congress High Command is not going to give in to their demands unless the
situation threatens to go out of hand.
DARING: The question being asked in political circles is whether the G7 members would have the daring to break away from NCP and withdraw support to the Congress-led government?
Jose Philip D’Souza has already made it clear that the demand for change of leadership is very much on cards besides other pending issues.
The Congress High Command is also waiting to see what moves the G7 members make. With NCP supreme Sharad Pawar less likely to agree for withdrawal of support to the Congress-led government in Goa, the G7 may have to take a drastic step to rock the boat.
This would mean, the three members of the NCP would have to snap its ties with the party and go ahead for a new formation.
If this happens, then the Congress will want to keep the G7 members tied up with legal hassles. What will follow will be petitions before the Speaker. A disqualification petition is already pending before the Speaker. So, when Health Minister (Independent MLA) Vishwajit Rane is with G7, his father’s role as Speaker will come in focus on disqualification petition. The Congress has 18 MLAs in the 40 member House.
DEMANDS: The agitated G7 members are in a dilemma whether to go ahead with their “last resort” of withdrawing support to Congress-led government or compromising with the Congress.
Whatever justification the G7 member may give for replacement of Digambar Kamat as CM, the Congress High Command is not keen on giving in to their demand for leadership change, as of now.
Going by the statements made last month by NCP spokesman Prakash Binsale, it was clear that leadership issue is to be settled by the main partner, Congress, and that coalition partners cannot dictate terms to the ‘Big Brother’.
The other issues they have raised with the central leaders include relieving three ministers – Ravi Naik, Churchill Alemao and Aleixo Sequeira – of Home, PWD and Power, respectively.
For the chief minister it has become a very difficult task to handle as the Congress too is adamant that the portfolios shouldn’t be touched.
Opposition Leader Manohar Parrikar has already said that the crisis is because G7 members have not got their demand on mining licences and RP 2021, granted.
UNITY?: While Jose Philip D’Souza maintained that all the seven are united, there are speculations that there is a slight rift in the group. It appears that there is no unity among the NCP members to come out of the party and form an alternative government.
“We are together and united,” he said while talking to this paper.
ADMINISTRATION: The infighting between Congress and G7 has virtually brought the administration in Goa to a stand still.
The ministers in G7 are busy shuttling between Goa Delhi and Mumbai either to pursue their demands or to come up with a new formula.
If the G7 resorts to political hara-kiri, the assembly may be placed under suspended animation, sources said.
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Alemao ups ante on PWD
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, APRIL 5
An unfazed PWD Minister Churchill Alemao has dared anyone to strip him of the PWD portfolio and asserted that the Digambar Kamat-led government is fully behind him.
“Let them touch my PWD portfolio and then I will react,” was how Alemao reacted during an informal chat with newsmen when asked about the reported demand by the G7 to strip him of the PWD portfolio.
Refusing to comment on the G7 demand to strip him of the PWD portfolio or the demand for an apology over his statements against the NCP, Alemao said “let them touch my PWD portfolio and see. The government is fully behind me.”
Sources in the know said the PWD minister had made it clear to the party High Command during his recent visit to the national capital that he would prefer to remain as an MLA if the PWD portfolio is taken away from him.
Alemao had apparently conveyed his stand to the party leadership, including GPCC President Subhash Shirodkar and other senior party functionaries that he would not remain in the Kamat-led ministry if he is stripped of the PWD portfolio.
The PWD Minister was in the news a fortnight ago after he lashed out at the NCP, following which the G7 demanded an unconditional apology from Alemao, a demand which was rejected outright by the Navelim MLA.
