NCP must still wait and watch
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, JAN 27
It still’s a game of wait and watch for the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Goa and it will able to make its next move only after return of their national General Secretary Praful Patel from London by this weekend.
NCP State Chief Surendra Sirsat speaking to Herald on Thursday evening , said he has kept abreast Party President Sharad Pawar of happenings in the State.
The future course of action will depend on the outcome of meeting between NCP general secretary and All India Congress Committee (AICC) Political Secretary, Ahmed Patel.
The NCP official was in dialogue with the Congress secretary about their demand to induct Benaulim legislator Mickky Pacheco into cabinet and the talks will resume after Praful’s return. he said.
The talks were temporarily suspended on request of the Congress party which wanted some time to resolve conflict in its State unit. Public Works Department Minister Churchill Alemao supported by nine Congress legislators had threatened to withdraw support from the government, if former Tourism Minister Pacheco was inducted into the cabinet.
Sirsat, however, said their main demand , to induct Pacheco into the cabinet by dropping Jose Philip D’Souza who is a revenue minister in Kamat-led government, still stands.
“ Our demand still stands because Congress party has not informed us that our demand has been turned down. They had only sought some time to resolve their internal crises, “ said the NCP State chief.
Meanwhile, the matter pertaining to who will be next NCP’s new legislature wing leader is pending before Speaker Pratapsing Rane.
