The political crisis faced by the Digamber Kamat led government in Goa has blown over with the Congress leadership managing to convince the NCP, protesting alleged irresponsible utterances against it by some Congress MLAs, to vote for the finance bill in the State Assembly.
The crucial meeting which went on till midnight last night in Mumbai defused the crisis hovering over the three-year-old government in the State.
NCP leader Praful Patel told PTI after the meeting that all issues will be discussed again on March 31 in a coordination committee meeting. He said the NCP will support Congress on the finance bill in the assembly session.
Yesterday’s reconciliation attempts will give much required breathing space for Chief Minister Digamber Kamat to present the annual State budget on Tuesday.
Congress General Secretary B.K. Hariprasad, NCP General Secretary Praful Patel and others including Kamat and all the seven dissident legislators were present at the meeting.
The group of seven NCP legislators on Friday, demanding an apology from some Congress members for their allegedly irresponsible utterances towards the party, had warned that Kamat should not consider their support for finance bill.
NCP-led group had demanded an apology from Congress minister Churchill Alemao and Congress Legislative Party spokesman Mauvin Godinho.
“We will allow the financial bill to be passed on the floor of the house as we don’t want to create ruckus,” NCP spokesman Prakash Bhingsale told PTI over phone from Mumbai.
He said the issues have not been settled but discussions on them have been postponed for March 31.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar is expected to attend the coordination committee meeting, which will thrash out the strained relations between the coalition partners.
Goa legislative assembly has 40 seats which comprise 18 Congress, 14 BJP, three NCP, two Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, one United Goans Democratic Party and two independents.
