Speaker sends notices to Victoria, Davlikar brothers

Panaji, Aug 9 (UNI) Goa Legislative Assembly Speaker Pratapsinh Rane has served notices, returnable by August 13, to lone Congress woman legislator Victoria Fernandes and Davlikar brothers of the MGP, seeking explanation regarding the disqualification petitions filed by Congress legislators against them.

The Assembly secretariat published the notice in a local newspaper as Victoria Fernandes was not available to receive it by hand or by courier yesterday.

Mr Ramakrishna Davlikar and his brother Pandurang Davlikar told UNI today that they had received the notices and would submit their explanation shortly, even as the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear their petitions challenging the Speaker's July 30 order on Monday.

The Speaker had debarred the three from voting during the trial of strength of the Digambar Kamat-led government on July 30 resulting in the government winning the vote of confidence by voice vote in the House.

This was challenged by the Davlikar brothers in the Supreme Court, seeking re-trial of strength. The BJP-led Goa Democratic Alliance had also filed seperate petitions in the Apex Court terming the Speaker's order as ''illegal, undemocratic, unconstitutional and partisan'' to save the Kamat government from falling on the floor.

All the 20 members of the NDA-led GDA coalition are scheduled to leave for New Delhi today for staging a one-day dharna at Jantar Mantar, coinciding with the beginning of the Monsoon Session of Parliament tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Mrs Fernandes was planning to approach the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, challenging the Speaker for not accepting her resignation, and restraining her from voting in the House in absentia.

Congress legislator Chandrakant Kavlekar filed the disqualification petition against her for hobnobbing with the GDA opposition as a member of the treasury benches.

She had resigned as legislator and the party as she claims she was ''humiliated'' and denied Cabinet berth although she was the lone woman member in the 40-member House.

She alleged that the Speaker had intentionally avoided meeting her in person for receiving her resignation letter despite giving her an appointment.

Apart from supporting the GDA dispensation since its birth on July 26, she had gone along the opposition members to Delhi for a head count at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Another Congress legislator, Agnelo Fernandes, filed disqualification petition against the Davlikar brothers for withdrawing support to the Congress-led coalition without the party's approval.

The MGP leadership, however, has clearly stated that it was totally backing the two of its legislators switching sides as they were ''dissatisfied'' with the functioning of the Congress leadership.

UNI