Speaker to hear NCP legislators on Jan 24
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, JAN 16
Goa legislative assembly Speaker Pratapsingh Rane has summoned all three Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP) legislators on January 24 to decide on the whip and the chief of
legislative wing issue.
The NCP high command had recently written letter to Rane informing him about Benaulim legislator Micky Pacheco being appointed as whip of the party along with the legislative wing president.
Sources stated that Rane is likely to seek consensus between all the three legislators Jose Philip D’Souza, Nilkant Halarnkar and Pacheco before finalizing Pacheco as a party whip.
The move comes in wake of the ensuing State legislative assembly session scheduled later this month.
The speaker is expected to give his verdict on January 25 after hearing all three legislators.
Rane’s meeting with the NCP legislators will be a testing time for the Sharad Pawar-led party. The Congress-led government in the recent past had refused to induct Pacheco in the cabinet despite, Pawar asking to do so.
If Rane refuses to accept Pacheco as a whip, that would further widen the divide between both the coalition partners who share power even in the Centre.
Sources stated that the NCP is all set to withdraw support from Digamber Kamat led government, if the humiliations continue.
Pacheco’s induction in the cabinet was stalled after a group of 10 Congress legislators voiced their protest. Also both the NCP ministers refused to put down their papers.
