Sandesh Prabhudesai
15 December 2000
Yet another opposition party split today within two days. The sole opposition legislator split from a two-member party, with a plan to join the opposition Congress next week.
Alex Sequeira, a former minister in Francisco Sardinha's coalition government, split from the Goa People's Congress Party (Venkatesh Desai group) today, forming his own GPCP group under his sole leadership.
Four of his former ministerial colleagues, led by former minister Somnath Zuwarkar, had split from the original Goa People's Congress Party on Wednesday, joining the Congress the next day.
Today's split has left Arecio D'Souza, another former minister, behind in the GPCP (VD group). He is hesitating to join the Congress fearing that the present BJP government may dislodge him as the chairman of the state pollution control board.
Sequeira and D'Souza, along with Desai and Francisco D'Souza had split from the GPCP led by Sardinha and had supported the BJP government after the latter's coalition government collapsed in October. But Desai (the group leader) and Francisco then joined the BJP, leaving these two legislators leaderless.
The GPCP was formed in November last year after 11 legislators led by Sardinha had split from the then ruling Congress, to form a coalition government with the BJP. After the BJP withdrew its support in October this year, these four GPCP legislators had left Sardinha, to support the BJP government.
Following this, four more former ministers led by Somnath Zuwarkar deserted Sardinha on Wednesday and joined the Congress the next day.
Meanwhile, Sardinha along with sole Nationalist Congress Party legislator Dr Wilfred de Souza has appealed to all the former Congressmen to come together to topple the BJP government.
Though the statement is welcomed by Luizinho Faleiro, the local Congress leader, he has proposed to work together only as the united opposition and not to form alternate government.
Since at least 10 Congressmen have already joined the BJP, Willy and Sardinha are also trying to get a chunk of it to split once again in order to topple the one-month old BJP government.
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