BJP names finalised, swearing in tomorrow
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 25 November 1999 16:56 ISTDr Suresh Amonkar (Pale), Digambar Kamat (Margao) and Prakash Phadte (Mayem), three Bharatiya Janata Party legislators, would be inducted as ministers tomorrow at 9.30 am.
This was announced by chief minister Francisco Sardinha today afternoon after the cabinet meeting, when BJP leader Manohar Parrikar submitted him the list of names when media was seated for the cabinet briefing.
Governor Lt Gen J F R Jacob had given oath of secrecy to only 11 Congress rebels yesterday evening at the Cabo Raj Bhavan, including chief minister Sardinha. Swearing in of the three BJP ministers was postponed for today morning as they could not finalise the third person.
Though Parrikar has opted out from the cabinet, there was no dispute over induction of Dr Amonkar, who is also the state party president, as well as Kamat, the second-time MLA and an experienced politician.
No consensus however could arrive among the 10 BJP legislators over the third name as the main battle was between Phadte and Courtroom MLA Ramarao Desai. The party has now finalised Phadte for the third cabinet berth.
There has been agreement among the coalition partners that the deputy speaker's seat, which had fallen vacant with minister Alex Sequeira's resignation when the split took place on 19 November, would also go to the BJP.
Sardinha however claims that the coalition has still not decided about it. Though he also says that Nationalist Congress Party leader Dr Wilfred de Souza would get a respectable place from where he could guide the four-party coalition, he is not even prepared to state whether the coalition would have a co-ordination committee.
Parrikar had however said earlier that he would be part of the co-ordination committee of the four parties. It is also learnt that Dr Willy would be the chairman of the committee. "We have not yet applied our mind to it", quips Sardinha.
While the portfolios would be announced by today evening, Sardinha has already announced that Alex Sequeira would be the industries minister. During Luizinho Faleiro's regime, Sequeira had an open tussle with former industries minister Churchill Alemao.
In fact the chief minister has already told Sequeira to place before him his proposal regarding the controversial Meta Strips project as the Anti Meta Strips Citizens Action Committee has planned a huge morcha in Panaji tomorrow.
"The decision would be announced before that", assured Sardinha, while fully knowing that the whole Salcete taluka as well as the South Goa district is burning over the issue, with series of successful public meetings being held in various parts.
