Digambar survives confidence vote amid noisy protests

Panaji, July 30 (UNI) The 53-day-old Digambar Kamat government today survived the confidence motion by ''voice vote'' with Speaker Pratapsinh Rane ''restraining'' three members from voting amid high drama of disqualification petition, even as the anti-Congress coalition Goa Democratic Alliance (GDA) described it as ''butchery of democracy''.

With the opposition not allowed to speak on point of order many times and Speaker asking the Chief Minister to move the confidence motion in the House as it met this afternoon, pandemonium broke out and members of the GDA walked out in protest.

All the 20 members of the GDA later rushed to Raj Bhavan demanding that Governor S C Jamir dismiss the Kamat government and condemned the ''shameful and partisan'' action of the Speaker.

The Governor assured the GDA that he would take suitable steps only after receiving the report from the Speaker on the outcome of the House.

Pouring out their venom against the Speaker's conduct in the House, the Opposition later told mediapersons that it would again approach President Pratibha Patil for ''justice'' if nothing came out of the Governor.

''Nowhere in the world has the Speaker barred a political party (MGP) from voting. Even as the opposition was not allowed to vote and press for division with the speaker hurrying the proceedings to save Digambar Kamat government,'' said Leader of the Opposition Manohar Parrikar.

BJP's national general secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy questioned the sagacity of the Speaker in denying the opposition the opportunity to participate in the voting and giving interim orders on two disqualification petitions instead of asking the Chief Minister to move vote of confidence straightaway as per the Governor's directive.

The House was adjourned sine die, a day ahead of schedule after adopting the Goa Appropriation Bill, 2007 in absence of the opposition members.

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