Sandesh Prabhudesai
21 October 2000
With two splinter groups of the Congress joining in, the Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to withdraw its support to the Francisco Sardinha-led coalition government tomorrow.
The BJP is also likely to stake claim to form the government at the same time, provided it receives formal approval for it from the central leadership.
Manohar Parrikar, who is tipped to be the chief minister, will submit letters of withdrawal as well as resignation of its three ministers to governor Mohammed Fazal, who is arriving here tomorrow from Delhi.
While eight Congressmen belonging to two splinter groups including opposition leader Ravi Naik joining the 10-member BJP today afternoon, Parrikar has claimed support of total 22 legislators in the 40-member House.
The group of four led by Naik split from the 10-member Congress today morning and joined the BJP soon after submitting letter of split to speaker Pratapsing Rane.
Only four among the splinter group led by Shaikh Hassan, which had split earlier on 15 August from the Congress, also merged into the BJP, leaving Suresh Parulekar alone. Though the BJP has not agreed to admit him, the latter has announced his support to the new government from outside.
Besides this, the two-member Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party as well as independent MLA Isidore Fervidness have also declared its support to the BJP government.
This leaves only 18 persons in the opposition, including 11 from Sardinha group, seven from the Congress including speaker Rane and Dr Wilfred de Souza, sole legislator of the Nationalist Congress Party.
Though this clearly indicates that the BJP would form the government, it all depends on whether Sardinha, who is rushing down here tomorrow by cutting short his Australia visit, will resign gracefully.
"Otherwise the governor should tell him to prove his majority in the House within two or three days", says Parrikar. He however expects Sardinha to resign gracefully accepting his defeat.
The Sardinha camp, even in his absence, still claims that they are in a position to counter the move and save the government. However, most of his cabinet colleagues are presently abroad in the USA and Hongkong.
In fact foreign junkets by the ministers belonging to Sardinha's Goan People's Congress at the cost of state exchequer is one of the reasons the BJP has cited to withdraw the support, besides anti-people stand on issues like evacuee property in Mayem as well as misuse of state funds and frequent transfers of officers.
Except Babu Azgaonkar who has split for the first time, all the remaining seven new BJP entrants are the habitual defectors, including former union minister Ramakant Khalap who has defected twice since last year.
Though he admits that they are professionals shifting sides for power, Parrikar claims that he would be able to run the government by keeping corruption in check, if not eliminating it totally.
Luizinho Faleiro, the Goa PCC chief, however feels that the political development has exposed intentions of the BJP as well as those who have split from the Congress beyond doubt.
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