Our govt in Goa will stabilise by Monday: AICC

New Delhi, July 26: The All India Congress Committee (AICC) today asserted that its government headed by Mr Digambar Kamat in Goa will stabilise by Monday, and accused the BJP of 'engineering' a political crisis and being 'hands-in-glove with the land lobby and huge vested interests, which had been trying to destabilise' the 49-day-old dispensation.

"Our government will not collapse...We have numbers in our favour. We will stabilise by Monday," AICC General Secretary Margaret Alva told mediapersons at the AICC headquarters here.

"There is, of course, a little confusion over the political situation in Goa. This confusion has nothing to do with politics. It is all about issues relating to land and revival of the regional plan," she added.

Asked how the Congress Party hoped to overcome the present serious crisis, she said AICC Secretary in charge of party affairs in Goa Siddharth Patel had already reached Goa to assess the situation. "I am also in touch with all of them." She denied the suggestion that the present developments in Goa had dealt a blow to the Congress Party in the state, but said "it was unfortunate though this was not totally expected in Goa." Referring to the resignation of Congress MLA Victoria Fernandes, which plunged Goa into a political crisis, Ms Alva said the party had already moved a resolution before the Speaker seeking her disqualification for violating the party's whip and keeping away from the voting on the Demands for Grants for 2007-08.

In this context, she said Ms Fernandes was given party ticket in the last assembly elections in Goa despite strong protests within the party. "Congress President Sonia Gandhi stood by her." Replying to a question, Ms Alva said the Congress Party had done justice to all the coalition partners by giving them ministerial berths and positions in corporations.

Asked why the two MLAs of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) had withdrawn support to the government, she said all the coalition partners had voted with the Congress in the election to the Deputy Speaker and also in the July 21 Presidential election.

"I don't know what had happened so suddenly. But I know some financial issue is involved," she said, while denying reports that the son of Goa Speaker Pratapsinh Rane had also withdrawn his support.

Referring to the controversial regional plan, she said the Congress Party had made it very clear in its manifesto itself that it would scrap the regional plan with retrospective effect. "The people of Goa should decide whether they want the regional plan or the Congress rule."

UNI