Goa NCP calls emergency meeting following legislators' spat

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Goa Unit today called for an emergency meeting after two of its legislators were involved in a public spat in town of Vasco in Panaji, party sources said.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Goa Unit today called for an emergency meeting after two of its legislators were involved in a public spat in town of Vasco in Panaji, party sources said.

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Prafulla Hede, state party coordinator, will chair the meeting which has also summoned both the legislators - Revenue Minister Jose Philip D'Souza and former Tourism Minister Fransisco Mickey Pacheco. Sources said that Hede, politically close to party chief Sharad Pawar, will try to have ceasefire between the two legislators, whose fight has left party's image battered. "He has been asked to condemn the incident and troubleshoot," a senior party leader said. Last evening, Pacheco was assaulted by D'Souza's supporters when he was dining in a restaurant in port town.

The former minister and NCP legislator said that D'Souza himself too assaulted him in an unprovoked attack. Hundreds of supporters also damaged a car belonging to Pacheco's friend parked outside the hotel. D'Souza, on the other hand, alleged that Pacheco was in the town to distribute money to support candidates, who are opposing his panel in the forthcoming municipal election.

The former tourism minister had to step down from the cabinet in June this year after his name was embroiled in the controversy related to death of his close friend Nadia Torrado.