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Goa: Congress, NCP emissaries hold talks

Prakash Kamat

Pawar warns rebel MLAs of extreme action

PANAJI: The central emissaries of the ruling Congress and the Nationalist Congress, who rushed here on Thursday, held parleys with the defiant NCP MLAs till late in the evening to salvage the seven-month-old Digambar Kamat government. The Congress-led government was reduced to a minority on Wednesday night when the three NCP members and an Independent MLA first resigned and later said they withdrew support.

Earlier in the day, they forced the Chief Minister to adjourn the Assembly to avert a possible defeat on the floor of the House over government business.

Setting the tone for the salvage operation on Thursday, NCP president Sharad Pawar issued a stern warning of “extreme action” against the three MLAs whose unilateral decision triggered the crisis.

Senior NCP leader and Union Minister Praful Patel, who arrived here along with party observer for Goa D.P. Tripathy, held discussions with the MLAs amid speculation that the State unit of the party proposed to form an alternative government with non-BJP groups, including independents, with the support of the Congress. If this effort failed, they were willing to seek BJP support.

Congress leaders B. K. Hari Prasad, Siddarth Patel and Ms. Mabel Rebello, who rushed to Goa, were also holding talks with partymen.

Sources in the NCP said that while the disgruntled MLAs had not demanded a change of leadership, they wanted the Chief Minister to function more effectively. There was a demand for divesting Dayanand Narvekar, whose style of functioning reportedly antagonised many, of his ministerial berth.

By evening, there were signs of an end to the impasse with the NCP legislature party leader Jose Philip D’Souza, Mr. Micky Pacheco, also of the NCP, and Independent MLA Vishwajit Rane, son of Speaker Pratapsingh Rane, toning down their stand after deliberations with Mr. Patel. The three said they were confident that their grievances over the functioning of the government could be redressed through talks.

Earlier as the crisis unfolded, Congress MLAs Shyam Satardekar and Mr. Gurudas Gawas made common cause with the rebel group,whose number swelled to nine. One of the Congress MLAs threatened to resign in a bid to reduce the party’s strength.

However, the Congress claimed the situation was under control. “We will be able to get NCP back in our fold,” said B. K. Hariprasad, AICC general secretary in-charge of Goa affairs.

After talking to the MLAs of the NCP and non-Congress groups, followed by a round of deliberations with the Chief Minister in a city hotel, Mr. Praful Patel said he was hopeful that the crisis would be resolved. He said that the NCP and other party MLAs had several grievances relating to the functioning of the government. There was a feeling that due weight was not being given to non-Congress MLAs. Some protested that their constituencies were neglected.

“I understand the issues and dialogue is on, but a solution cannot be found out right now,” said Mr. Patel. “We have been talking to the Congress.” The NCP leader is understood to have told the Chief Minister to take the MLAs with him.

Earlier in the day, as part of the damage control exercise, the Goa Assembly was abruptly prorogued on Thursday without passing the Appropriation bill, inviting strong protests from the Opposition BJP. Leader of the Opposition Manohar Parrikar accused the Governor S. C. Jamir of indulging in Constitutional impropriety to salvage the tottering government and demanded his immediate recall by the Centre.

The Assembly was prorogued by the Governor following a Cabinet recommendation. The move significantly came hours before the Assembly was to meet to take up the crucial Appropriation Bill. There was a threat of the bill falling, which would have led to the fall of the government.

Before the withdrawal of support by some on Wednesday, the ruling coalition had 23 members — Congress (16), NCP (3), Save Goa Front (2) and Independents(1) and United Goans Democratic Party’s unattached legislator Atanasio Monserrate. The Opposition 17 MLAs comprised 14 of the BJP, two of the MGP and one Independent in the 40-member house.

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