Sonia to decide South Goa candidate: Alva
Panaji,
Aug
25:
Ruling
out
any
understanding
with
Save
Goa
Front
(SGF)
chief
Churchil
Alemao
on
offering
the
South
Goa
Lok
Sabha
seat
to
his
daughter
for
the
coming
by-election,
AICC
general
secretary
in
charge
of
Goa
Margaret
Alva
has
said
the
candidate
would
be
decided
jby
party
supremo
Sonia
Gandhi
after
the
Election
Commission's
announcement
of
the
election
schedule.
Interacting with mediapersons after former Chief Minister and Speaker Francisco Sardinha took over as the new Goa Pradesh Congress Committee chief here today, Ms Alva, however, admitted that the party had approached Mr Churchil for joining the Digambar Kamat government after breaking ties with the BJP-led Goa Democratic Alliance recently.
There was nothing more than that except offering the PWD portfolio to him. On the other hand, Mr Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate, who was recently expelled by the UGDP, has extended his support on his own and we could not reject it, she said.
''There is nither truck with Mr Monserrate nor his party. He chose to give support to us on his own. We did not negotiate with the UGDP. The Congress, however, sought support of Churchil whom we called a joke when he rebelled against the party before the June 2 elections,'' she said.
Ms Alva also made it clear that her party had nothing to do with the decisions Mr Monserrate had taken as the Town and Country Planning Minister in the erstwhile Pratapsinh Rane government related to the controversial Regional Plan-2011.
The Plan was scrapped following public uproar and Mr Monserrate resigne from the Ministry. But he fought to retain the Taleigao constituency from the UGDP ticket after quitting the Congress and membership of the Assembly at the eleventh hour.
He had forged truck with the SGF and floated the GDA with the BJP, MGP and an independent plunging the Kamat-led government into minority, only to quit the GDA within a fortnight to extend support to the government.
Mr Kamat, who was present at the press conference, reiterated that he was ready to prove his majority if called for. He also admitted that he had welcomed Mr Monserrate when the latter extended his ''unqualified support'' to his government.
''We are ready to take support of anybody who ever extends it,'' he said, adding he had no differences with Mr Churchil.
UNI