BJP opposes new induction
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 15 August 2000 16:29 ISTChief minister Francisco Sardinha claims that he is the architect of yet another split in the opposition Congress, but has not decided whether to include any of the five defectors in his jumbo cabinet.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, partner in the coalition government, has however opposed to induct any new face in the cabinet, though they claim that they were consulted before the split.
The Congress on the other hand however is still not prepared to admit that the party has split, even after speaker Pratapsing Rane confirming that he has received the papers. "Let me see whether the split is legal", says Ravi Naik, the opposition leader.
The new development appears to be a desperate attempt by Sardinha to save his nine-month old coalition government. "I did it because they wanted to topple my government on the birthday (26 August) of Goa PCC chief Luizinho Faleiro", says Sardinha.
Though BJP state president Laxmikant Parsekar claims that his party is always happy if Congress cracks down to pieces, its stand not to expand the cabinet with the new defectors smells of new problems cropping up within the ruling coalition.
Sardinha, the former Congressman who had split in November with 10 colleagues, has become more strong now as the number on his side is gone up to 16 against only 10 of the BJP. Two MGP men and one each from the NCP and independent are also supporting him.
This became evident when he today told reporters that he will not drop revenue minister Mauvin Godinho from the cabinet, the demand made by the BJP last week. "We do not part away with friends", Sardinha however still claims while denying the fact that the BJP would be now marginalised in the ruling coalition.
"I am little slow in taking decisions", he says with a smile while brushing aside the question of whether anyone from the splinter group would be inducted in his cabinet. The defected group however learnt to have demanded at least two births, going against the stand taken by the BJP.
Claiming that he has always been a Congressman at heart, Sardinha even goes to the extent of stating that he now needs only five more Congressmen to join him, to make it 21 in the 40-member House and claim that the real Congress is with him. "You just wait and watch", he says, leaving all the journalists guessing.
