Goa: Kamat govt's fate to be decided on July 30

Panaji, July 29: The fate of the beleagured 52-day-old Digambar Kamat-led government in Goa would be decided on Monday when the state Assembly meets for the crucial ''trial of strength'' as directed by Governor S C Jamir even as the 20-member Goa Democratic Alliance (GDA) showed its strength at the Rashtrapathi Bhawan yesterday.

Both the groups were confident that they could stand the trial on the D-Day even as efforts were being made by the Congress to affect the morale of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) by ''restraining'' its two legislators from voting in the House by hook or crook or invoking anti-defection law.

The day also witnessed a high drama when the MGP president Pandurang Raut had to deny what its general secretary Pradip Naik told the media in the evening that the party did not endorse the decision of the two legislators to withdraw its support to the government in favour of the GDA.

He dashed letters to the Governor as also Speaker Pratapsinh Rane today stating that the party went by the decision of the two legislators - PWD minister Ramakrishna Davlikar and his brother Deepak Davlikar - in its meeting on July 26 itself.

The party, he said, had also decided to suspend a legislator, Mr Pradip, for ''anti-party activities'' forthwith and decamping with the minutes book apparently in league with the Congress.

Mr Raut further stated that he and the legislators were offered huge sums of money by prominent Congress legislators to withdraw from the GDA camp and also threatened them with dire consequences if he failed to oblige.

He also suspected that Mr Pradip might have been bribed to enact the drama to babble against the party though he was not authorised to address the media. The President was the only one authorised to speak on behalf of the party, he said.

If the two MGP members are restrained from voting, the GDA strength would reduce to 18 against an equal number of Congress-NCP-Independent combine so that the Speaker could exercise his vote in favour of the ruling coalition to save the government by its skin.

Meanwhile, the Congress kept its legislators and other supporters at a tourist resort in North Goa while the rival GDA members were to return from Delhi having successfully presented their case before President Pratibha Patil this afternoon.

It is to be seen whether Ms Victoria Fernandes, who had resigned from the Congress and the House and presented herself before the President, would be disqualified by the Speaker temporarily on Monday or accept the resignation.

She was also expected to throw a surprise by presenting herself in the House and voting in favour of the GDA, come what may, as she still could not gulp the humiliation she had met even from the Speaker, observors said.

Meanwhile, the state BJP president Shripad Naik threatened to move the Supreme Court if the Speaker or the Governor failed to act according to the principles of the Constitution.

UNI