Goa NCP gets boost, Salgaocar pledges support

Panaji, June 11 (UNI) The Goa Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) received a boost with Anil Salgaocar, who won as an independent from Curchorem Assembly constituency in the June 2 elections, extending unconditional support to the party's legislative wing.

''I accept your invitation to be a supporter of the legislative wing of the NCP whilst continuing in the Goa Assembly as an independent,'' he told NCP chief and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar in a communication, a copy of which was circulated to the mediapersons here today.

Disclosing this at a press conference, Goa NCP chief Dr Wilfred D'Souza said Mr Salgaocar has promised to contribute to the growth and develpoment of the NCP as a ''sympathiser'' of the party.

The copy of the letter was marked to Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and Dr D'Souza.

Replying to a question, Dr D'Souza said Mr Salgaocar's support had nothing to do with the vessel ''River Princess''. The vessel, owned by Mr Salgaocar, had been floating in the sea threatening the environment, and work on towing it away had already begun by a Gujarat-based company with which the department of tourism had entered into a memorandum of understanding on April 20 last.

It was rumoured that Mr Salgaocar may demand the government, through the NCP, for the return of his vessel instead of sending it for scrap.

Meanwhile, Dr D'Souza reiterated the partys demand for Cabinet berths to all three of its legislators. ''It is, however, the prerogative of the Chief Minister to give the berths. It will depend upon the discussions with the party high command in Delhi tomorrow after Mrs Sonia Gandhi's arrival from her tour abroad,'' he said.

NCP leader and Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel is also expected to interact with Mr Kamat and Mrs Gandhi in this regard, he added.

UNI