PANJIM: Sometimes, what you see is not what you see. Sometimes, what you hear is not what you hear.
In the latest act in Goa’s puppet show, it is reliably learnt that Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, actually orchestrated a threat of a revolt against his own government by Public Works Department Minister Churchill Alemao, to ensure that the Nationalist Congress Party move to get Kamat induct Mickky Pacheco back into the government failed.
It all started with a seemingly innocuous meeting between the Congress and the NCP ministers at Congress General Secretary Vijay Sardessai’s residence in Margao but what followed it was surprising.
The NCP high command asked their two ministers Jose Philip and Nilkanth Halarnkar to submit their resignation. When their party ministers refused to budge, the NCP air-dashed General Secretary Prakash Bhinsale to convey their message to chief minister for
dropping the ministers and induct “controversial” legislator Mickky Pacheco into the cabinet.
Meanwhile, a pressure group was formed in the Congress, led by none other than Mickky’s bete- noiré Churchill Alemao, which announced to the media at the Taj Vivanta hotel in Panjim, that they would vehemently oppose the move to induct Mickky.
What has raised eyebrows is that the press conference called by Churchill was co-ordinated by the Department of Information. The department sent text messages to journalists and was attended by an official of the department—John Aguiar.
This by and large proves that the Congress definitely had a hand in the revolt by the group of 10. Otherwise, how can one justify that a department which comes directly under the chief minister co-ordinates the conference called to threaten toppling of the government.
While Churchill is the first along with Joaquim Alemao and Aleixo Sequeira, who have no love lost for Mickky, Kamat and Home Minister Ravi Naik too have no place for Mickky.
Mickky, during his tenure as the tourism minister, has made some strong charges against Kamat and the home minister over several issues including the drug trade and Scarlet rape and murder issue.
It is also important to note a piquant situation arose this time when the Congress went out of its way to admit it had a crisis.
This time around, the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Subash Shirodkar as well as the Congress general secretary, incharge of Goa BK Hariprasad, were quick to acknowledge the crisis and felt something had to be done immediately.
When asked why they were quick to admit of a political crisis, Shirodkar had said, “If there is a crisis we will admit, if not how can we?”
On the other hand, as we move towards the NCP, one query that every person who has little political knowledge wants to be answered is why does the party want Mickky, with several criminal cases against him to be inducted into cabinet.
Mickky, besides his alleged involvement in the Nadia murder case, has also been under the scanner of the United States’ Bureau of Diplomatic Security (BDS) over his alleged involvement in the money laundering and the illegal immigration case.
The only reason one can understand is that the party’s State co-ordinator Prafful Hede has fully convinced Pawar that the two ministers – Jose and Nilkanth, are all set to join Congress.
However, the duo has refused to buy the suggestion.
“Why would I quit NCP and go into Congress when I have no complaints here,” Jose told Herald. His point of view was also supported by Nilkanth.
However, the NCP is somehow convinced and adamant it wants the duo out, at least for now.
The NCP has, meanwhile, threatened the Congress of withdrawing support if it fails to induct Mickky.
However, for Congress it seems that the ‘threat’ by Churchill led group of 10 was more serious than that by the NCP and hence it has acted on the threat emerging within the party rather than the alliance partner.
Also, Congress acknowledges that its alliance with the NCP is very strong at the Centre and it has treated the happenings at the State level as minor one.
