SGF supremo Churchill Alemao sworn-in as minister

Panaji, Aug 14 (UNI) The 69-day old Congress-led coalition government, headed by Digambar Kamat, in Goa received a further boost today after Save Goa Front (SGF) supremo and Congress rebel Churchill Alemao was inducted into the Cabinet, ending the fortnight long political instability that reduced the government into a minority.

Mr Alemao, who switched sides today after a brief honeymoon with the BJP-led Goa Democratic Alliance (GDA), was sworn-in as a Cabinet minister at a ceremony at Raj Bhavan here this evening.

He was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor S C Jamir. Alemao took the oath in Konkani.

Late last night, Mr Alemao, along with his party legislator Reginaldo Alexio Lourenco, had called on a representative of the Governor and submitted a memorandum extending support to the Kamat-led government.

He was likely to be given the PWD portfolio that fell vacant after MGP legislator Ramakrishna Davlikar, along with his brother Pandurang Davlikar, quit the government to join the GDA on July 26.

Yesterday, another GDA ally Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate, the lone UGDP legislator, extend to ''unconditional support'' to the government after withdrawing from the anti-Congress alliance for providing what he called ''stability and strengthening secular forces''.

The BJP leadership maintained that the GDA prefers to sit in the Opposition to play a constructive role along with other partners.

It was the SGF and the UGDP combine that took the initiative of forming the GDA and cobbling enough strength to stake claim to form government, even as it designated BJP opposition leader Manohar Parrikar as the chief ministerial candidate of the combine.

With today's development, the strength of the GDA combine has now reduced to 17, with BJP having 14 legislators, MGP 2 and Independent 1. On the other hand, the strength of Congress-led coalition has gone up to 22, with Congress 15 (including Speaker) and excluding the lone woman Congress member Victoria Fernandes, who resigned), NCP 3, SGF 2, UGDP 1 and Independent 1 in the 40-member House.

Meanwhile, the division bench of the panjim bench of Bombay High Court here today postponed the hearing of the petition of Victoria Fernandes, who sought a writ of mandamus against the Speaker's order on july 30.

In the petition, she said the Speaker had acted in a partisan manner by not accepting her resignation letter.

The Speaker will hear her on August 27 in relation to the disqualification petition filed against her by Chandrasekhar Kavelkar (Congress) for violating the party whip by failing to be present in the House on July 24 for voting on budget demands.

The Speaker will also to hear the two MGP legislators on August 16 on disqualification petitions pending against them. In the petitions it was alleged that they switched sides without the approval of the party.

UNI