'Loyal' MLAs go in hiding as drama continues

Sandesh Prabhudesai
22 November 1999 

Hiding has become order of the day as protecting the 'loyal' legislators has become the prime task for the political leaders here.

The floor test of chief minister Luizinho Faleiro is still two days ahead while both the camps are presently holding their legislators under tight security. In fact, they have been shifted to unknown places.

Angels Resorts in Porvorim is suddenly found to be deserted as all the MLAs belonging to Francisco Sardinha camp have been shifted elsewhere, under tight security of the Sangh Parivar.

With attempts being reportedly made by PWD minister Ravi Naik to split five more from the Congress camp, the Faleiro camp has also shifted its MLAs, somewhere in South Goa.

With tourism minister Churchill Alemao, Babu Azgaonkar and Luis Alex Cardoz arriving here this afternoon from London and Diu respectively, the Congress legislature party is expected to formally meet now in the evening.

Congress sources claim that notices have also been sent to the six legislators belonging to the splinter group to attend the meeting. The plan is to move disqualification petition against them when they do not turn up for the meeting.

After trying to show that five among the 11 defectors were expelled much before the split, the ruling party is trying to prove that the remaining six does not form one third of the 21-strong CLP. The anti-defection act requires one third of the strength to split legally.

But the move may not have immediate effect as speaker Pratapsing Rane has reportedly clearly told the party leadership in Delhi that he would not do any such thing which is bad in law. It means he would not immediately disqualify them.

Sardinha as well as BJP leader Manohar Parrikar have also said they would prefer Rane to continue as the speaker, though he belongs to the Congress, even after the coalition government takes over.

Realising this, independent MLA Isidore Fernandes has also submitted a letter to governor Lt Gen J F R Jacob that he is supporting Sardinha as the new leader. He was 'wholeheartedly' supporting Faleiro all this time.

Meanwhile, the BJP executive committee yesterday evening decided to participate in the government, though final decision would be taken by the central leadership today. Parrikar and Dr Suresh Amonkar left for Delhi today to finalise it.

Govindrao Adik, the Congress observer here, in the meanwhile admitted that dissidence was growing against Faleiro from the day he was sworn in June. But his proposal to change the leadership now has been outrightly rejected by Sardinha camp.

Instead of taking the blame for not sorting out the problem of dissidence on the leadership, Adik however prefers to charge that is the BJP's gameplan to dislodge a popular government, which was elected to power with a clear mandate from the people.

Parrikar however refutes this allegation stating that they are supporting the government merely to avoid mid-term Assembly polls within five months. With the Congress splitting vertically, no group could form the government in Goa without BJP's support, even in future.

Though BJP now claims that they are participating in the government of defectors for stability and good governance, the real reason learnt to be save the main opposition party from defections. At least four BJP men could have otherwise defected to Faleiro camp.

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