Mind your language: Goa NCP chief tells Congress

The Nationalist Congress Party in Goa on Friday took strong cognisance of a statement by a Congress leader that the Sharad Pawar-led party was colluding with Bharatiya Janata Party to destabilise the Congress-led government in the state.

"The Congress should ask its leaders to mind their words while making statements," NCP Goa unit president Surendra Sirsat told PTI, reacting to the statement by Goa Pradesh Congress Committee General Secretary Vijay Sardesai. The latter had, in a statement, said the NCP was in collusion with the BJP to disturb the Congress government in Goa.

The statement came in the wake of the NCP's recent move asking its two ministers to quit the cabinet and induct Francisco 'Mickky' Pacheco in the cabinet. "I don't think what Sardesai said is the opinion of the party. It is his personal opinion. But he should restrict himself from making his opinions public," Sirsat said.

Two NCP ministers had hit the controversy after they held a meeting with Congress legislators at Sardesai's residence last week. The Congress leader is a South Goa based politician.

Sirsat said he will be formally communicating to the Congress party about Sardesai's reported statement. The Congress party, on the other hand, has maintained silence over the statement. "I need to go through the statement and read what he said. I will be able to comment on the issue later," Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Subhash Shirodkar said.

A group of 10 Congress legislators have rebelled in the state opposing induction of Pacheco in the cabinet. The public works department minister Churchill Alemao-led group had said they will topple the government if any of the minister is dropped.