Goa: Kamat govt in trouble; BJP claims majority

Panaji, July 26: The Congress-led government was reduced to a minority with lone woman rebel Congress legislator Victoria Fernandes resigning and two-member Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) partners and an independent Anjil Salgaocar withdrawing from the coalition early today.

Leader of the BJP opposition in the State Legislative Assembly Manohar Parrikar claimed he would prove the majority of his group in the House during voting on budget demands.

He claimed backing of the two legislators of the Save Goa Front, the lone UGDP member besides the two MGP legislators, including PWD minister Ramakrishna Davalikar.

The entire opposition camp shifted its base to another hotel nearer to the BJP headquarters this morning. The BJP claims to have a strength of 20, including his own party 14 backed by SGF 2, MGP 2, UGDP 1 and Independent 1.

Mr Parrikar made this announcement in the presence of all these legislators who met in a swank hotel late last night. He also said many more Congress legislators were likely to quit soon.

With this, the strength of the Congress-led coalition in the 40-member house was reduced to 19, Congress with 15 backed by the NCP-3 and the independent Mr Viswajit Rane (Health Minister), son of speaker Pratapsinh Rane. The Speaker can exercise his vote in case of only a ''tie''.

Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, however, maintained that he would prove his strength in the House and said he continued to enjoy majority. All his party supporters were conferring with the CM at his Altinho official residence now.

NCP General Secretary Surendra Furtado, meanwhile, told the sources that the party would ''wait and watch'' the scenario depending on the outcome in House today.

He, however, maintained that it had to abide by the decision of the party high command and till then it continued to support the Congress as it was a pre-election coalition.

Ms Fernandes, who rebelled against the Congress for denying a Cabinet berth, also announced her resignation from the party even as the party was contemplating filing a disqualification petition against her for not being present in the House during voting on budget demands on July 24.

She said she could not swallow the humiliation meted out to her by the party colleagues even as she had to fight for even the party ticket, leave alone denying a cabinet berth to her though she was the only woman legislator in the House.

Incidentally, she celebrates her 64th birthday today.

PWD minister Mr Davalikar (MGP) said the party had decided to withdraw from the coalition as it was ''not happy with the functioning of the government''.

UNI