Congress-led govt tottering

The 49-day-old Digambar Kamat-led government plunges into minority in the 40-member assembly, report Saroj Nagi and Shekhar Iyer.

A DAY of fast-paced developments saw the Congress on the brink of losing its 49-day government to the BJP when four MLAs, including a party legislator, quit the ruling combine.

HT Image

But the party claimed it had staved off “operation destabilisation’’ allegedly launched by “land lobbies keen to revive the controversial Goa regional plan.’’ The BJP’s Manohar Parrikar, however, said the Opposition-led grouping — called the Goa Democratic Front — had 20 of the Assembly’s 40 MLAs and will stake claim to form the government. “If Governor SC Jamir does not give us chance, we will defeat the government on the floor of the House,” he said in Panaji after the assembly was adjourned amidst uproar on Thursday. He also demanded that Jamir return to Goa and sack Kamat.

But, Margaret Alva, AICC leader in charge of Goa, said the ruling combine had the numbers and the government would “stabilise’’ by Monday when the assembly meets. While she was in touch with the Goa leaders, including Save Goa Front’s Churchill Alemao, she sent her deputy Siddharth Patel to monitor the situation. “What is happening has nothing to do with politics but with the huge land deals struck by firms and individuals who want the Goa regional plan to be revived,” she said.