Breakaway group extends unconditional support to Sardinha

Panaji, Aug 16: The Indian National Congress (Shaikh Hassan group), the five-member breakaway group of MLAs from the main opposition Congr...

Panaji, Aug 16: The Indian National Congress (Shaikh Hassan group), the five-member breakaway group of MLAs from the main opposition Congress in Goa, has extended unconditional support to the Francisco Sardinha-led coalition government in the state.

Addressing a press conference here, the leader of the group Sheikh Hassan Haroon alleged that resentment over the functioning of the local party leadership forced them to break ranks.

Besides Hassan, two other members, Suresh Parulekar and Jose Philip Desouza, were present at the press conference.

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Hassan, however, circulated copies of a `joint declaration’ purportedly signed by all five affirming the split in the Congress in Goa. The five signatories to the declaration were Prakash Velip, Philip Neri Rodrigues, Shaikh Hassan, Parulekar and Desouza.

The Congress has a strength of 15 in the state legislative assembly.

Meanwhile, the Goa unit leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Dr Wilfred Desouza, MLA, described as good the development and said it would bring more stability to the Sardinha Government.

Desouza, addressing a separate press conference, claimed that he was also supporting the government from outside.

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