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More trouble brewing in Goa

Sandesh Prabhudesai in Panaji

Governor Lt Gen (retd) J F R Jacob and assembly Speaker Thomazinho Cardoz are at loggerheads again. And the issue now is about when the assembly session has to be convened to take up the confidence motion of the week-old Dr Wilfred de Souza-led coalition government in Goa.

The governor has set the date for today but Cardoz says he has not been informed.

After a day of confusion over the issue, Legislative Affairs Minister Kashinath Jalmi said that the governor had cleared the file yesterday afternoon. But when the media met the speaker in the evening, he said he had not received any intimation from Raj Bhavan.

"I had sent the file to the governor on Saturday and am still waiting for its return," he said. Others suggest the Congress camp has foiled the Wilfred de Souza-led coalition's efforts to convene the session.

The governor had told de Souza to prove his majority in 21 days on July 29. He has eight days left.

"How can I take up the confidence motion when the matter challenging my installation is pending before the high court," asks de Souza, referring to the petition filed by Pratapsing Rane, his predecessor, challenging the dismissal of his government. Its final hearing is to start on August 13.

He appears to be playing safe since the Goa bench of Bombay high court has asked Rane to come with an appeal if the confidence vote is taken up before the petition is disposed. However, it dismissed his earlier plea that it should maintain the status quo by reinstating him as the chief minister.

The coalition government, consisting of de Souza's Goa Rajiv Congress, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party, will take up the confidence motion by August 19, the last day given by the governor, if the high court fails to dispose Rane's petition by then.

The session however is being convened to compel Cardoz to immediately deliver his judgement on the disqualification petitions against 10 GRC members, including de Souza, his eight cabinet colleagues and the deputy speaker, who had split on July 27 to topple Rane.

But the de Souza group is more worried about the speaker's reported plan to restrain the members he had disqualified from entering the house, to ensure the defeat of the confidence motion.

By forcing the speaker to deliver the judgment now, this group hopes they would have time to rush to the court and seek a stay order if they are disqualified. The confidence motion could then be taken up later.

In an attempt to stop the Congress taking away disgruntled elements in their group, the de Souza government inducted two more ministers with a promise that the cabinet would be expanded further.

With an eye on the upcoming assembly polls, just 16 months away, the Bharatiya Janata Party has informally decided not to join the government now.

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