By: Y Bala Murali Krishna

Panaji, Aug 2 (UNI) In a bid to prevent dissidents from attempting yet another coup against the 19-month-old Digambar Kamat government in Goa, the Congress high command has started an intensive exercise in its own style to reinduct beleaguered, unattached legislator from Taleigao, Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate in the Cabinet.

Interestingly, the rebels/dissidents always become active a few days before the commencement of the state legislative assembly, which is scheduled to meet here from August 18 to discuss full budget.

The main question facing AICC general secretary B K Hari Prasad in-charge of Goa desk now was to suggest whom to drop and the valid reason for it, before it could trigger another trouble for Mr Kamat, who survived two such coups by the skin of his teeth.

Mr Prasad has been camping in the capital since last evening, busy engaged in consultations with all the Congress legislators besides members of parliament and the chief minister, before coming out with concrete recommendations to the high command in a day or two.

Sources said finance minister Dayanand Narvekar, who was framed of criminal charges in ODI-cricket-ticket scam last month was asked to resign, even as he was convalescing from a knee surgery he had undergone recently.

In that case, Mr Babush, who led an open rebellion against the Congress besides spearheading an agitation against Rajiv Gandhi IT habitat project, had also been framed in criminal cases including the one related to the infamous attack on Panjim police station on February 18.

The Congress sources maintain that if Mr Babush will be reinducted, former transport minister Pandurang Madkaikar, who was the only ST candidate in the party, should also be reinducted.

The high command, which reportedly agreed to reinduct Mr Babush in the cabinet before he offered his support to the Kamat government in July-August last by breaking away from the BJP-backed rebellion that plunged the government into minority, was now in a fix as to how to go about.

The high command, successfully pursued the then Save Goa Front chief Churchill Alemao and his group to disband its tie up with the BJP to save the then minority government by joining the government.

Mr Churchill later became the PWD minister and joined the Congress, which he quit as South Goa MP to form the SGF to contest June 2 last elections in the hope of becoming a chief minister again.

Mr Babush, who contested Taleigao seat on UGDP ticket by ditching the Congress at the 11th hour, was however expelled by the UGDP later, for disbanding the BJP-led front against the Congress regime.

Mr Babush had earlier resigned as urban development minister with people rebelling against the controversial Regional Plan 2011 that permitted several mega projects. He was known as a fish out of water when out of cabinet.

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