NCP to meet in Delhi to review relations with Congress in Goa

Panaji, Nov 17 (UNI) Constantly piqued over the denial of cosy portfolios and positions in the government, the Goa unit of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) today decided to review its relations with the Congress-led coalition government in the state.

Following uproar and disgruntlement in the rank and file of the NCP unit here, the party has called an emergency meeting with its high command in New Delhi on November 20, to discuss the issues threadbare including the performance of the Digambar Kamat-led government to take an appropriate decision.

Party president Dr Wilfred De Souza, general secretary Surendra Furtado and Revenue Minister Jose Philip D'sousa and parliamentary secretary N Halarnkar called on Union Minister of Civil Aviation Praful Patel, camping in the city at a north Goa resort, and poured out their grievances this evening.

The NCP leadership, after discussing the issues with the party supremo and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, would call on the Congress high command including its general secretary in-charge of Goa desk B K Hari Prasad to serve the ultimatum.

''If the Congress high command fails to concede our demands within ten days from November 21, we will consider reviewing our support to the coalition government in Goa,'' Mr Furtado told UNI tonight.

The NCP has been demanding PWD, education and other bigger portfolios to its three legislators, besides good positions as directors in corporations and posts of chairmen to six corporations, since the inception of the government in June.

''We no longer tolerate this humiliation as pre-electin partners of the Congress,'' he said.

The party has also decided to go it alone in the future elections to the state legislative assembly, he added.

UNI