Kamat's resignation not yet accepted

Goa assembly speaker Vishwas Satarkar has not yet accepted the resignation of Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Digamber Kamat.

Kamat on Friday claimed he was frustrated as he was not consulted by the BJP on any issue.

Kamat, who submitted his resignation on Thursday, said he had asked to meet Satarkar to verify his (Kamat's) signature on the resignation letter, as doubts were being raised.

However, Satarkar failed to turn up.

"I haven't come here with the Congress and I don't have any intention of joining any party right now. Once my resignation is accepted, I will go back to my voters and decide my future course of action. If they tell me to quit politics, I will do that as well. I have no ambition for any post," Kamat said.

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Claiming that the BJP leadership had always considered him a "Congressman", Kamat said, "I felt frustrated because I was not consulted on any decision in the party or the government. The party needs to rethink on its style of functioning and ask itself why a person like me, who has been a dedicated worker, should feel the need to leave."

"I was of the opinion that after the four of their legislators resigned, the BJP should have sat in the opposition and accepted the defeat gracefully, but that did not happen," he said.

Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Luizinho Faleiro, said more BJP MLAs had approached his party but "we are being selective as we do not want any problem later on."

Meanwhile, justifying Goa Governor S C Jamir's decision to dismiss the BJP government, the Pratapsinh Rane-headed Congress government has told the Supreme Court that legality of the decision of the Governor could not be questioned.

The affidavit was filed by the Rane government in response to the Supreme Court's notice to it on February 21 on a petition filed by ousted chief minister Manohar Parrikar challenging the legality of the Governor's decision

Parrikar's petition has been listed for hearing on Monday.

The new government, sworn-in within hours of dismissal of the BJP Government, stated that the governor was in know of the manner in which the trust vote was passed and was fully justified in dismissing a government, which though in minority, managed to win through illegal means.