Cong suffers another split in Goa as 5-member group joins ruling party

Thus, the Congress Party whose strength had swelled from 21 to 26 after engineering defections in MGP and UGDP in this term of the Legislative Assembly, has received its comeuppance. With this development the present Francisco Sardinha-led Goa Peoples Congres Party and BJP alliance is likely to receive a boost since this group is likely to merge in the GPCP and in turn be rewarded with ministerial berths and other positions in the Government.

The group comprising of Mormugao MLA Sheikh Hassan, Calangute MLA Suresh Parulekar, Kepem MLA Prakash Velip, Vasco MLA Jose Phillip D’Souza and Velim MLA Phillip Neri Rodrigues has reportedly demanded change in the leadership of PCC and CLP. Their ire has been particularly directed against PCC President Luizinho Faleiro, who they allege was dictatorial and attempted to fill the Congress party with his sycophants. Faleiro’s support to the youth Congress and its leaderships venture is like giving legitimacy to highway robbery, said Mr Suresh Parulekar. Calangute MLA Mr Parulekar speaking to ENS specially took exception to the Congress party president Luizinho Faleiro’s support for what he termed as criminal activities of the youth Congress led by its President Girish Chodankar who were arrested on charges of impersonation.

Parulekar charged Luizinho with dictatorial functioning in the Pradesh Congress and said that the Congress High Command especially the All India General Secretary in charge of Goa Ms. Prabha Rao should at least now make amends for the grave mistake of blindly following Luizinho’s advice and actions regarding the Congress Party’s future in Goa.

The Calangute MLA Mr Parulekar and Phillip Neri Rodrigues as also Kepem MLA Mr Prakash Velip originally belonged to the UGDP and MGP respectively and were brought into the Congress fold on the eve of the previous Lok Sabha elections at the behest of Luizinho Faleiro who was the then Congress Chief Minister.

The current political development is also very significant in the light of the demand of the BJP legislative party leader Manohar Parrikar for the dropping of revenue minister Mauvin Godinho from the cabinet. The BJP is irked with Godinho’s decision to shift the idol of Goddess Shantadurga in Bicholim through an official order.

The proposed entry of the Sheikh Hassan-led five member group into the GPCP fold is likely to pave the way for the dropping of Godinho from the cabinet. It is also reliably learnt that yet another dissident minister from the GPCP is likely to be dropped and his vacancy is likely to be filed by another new entrant from the five-member group. The CM is learnt to have received the green signal for this proposed operation from the BLP legislative party and its leader Manohar Parrikar who are learnt to have had late night confabulations with Sardinha and deputy CM Dauanand Narvekar and co-operation minister Somnath Zuarkar.

This defection like the other numerous splits is shadowed with charges of huge payoffs by the ruling party. However, the beleaguered Congress party is likely to suffer a further dilemma if Mauvin Godinho decides to rejoin the Congress party with a sizeable number of MLAs. This is because of the charges of corruption being traded publicly by Godinho and PCC president Luizinho Faleiro.

Mr. Godinho is also unlikely to organise an uprising within the GPCP since he is not considered acceptable to most of his colleagues. Mr. Parulekar said the five member group will address a press conference tomorrow, to express their feelings and to elaborate on their ultimatum to the Congress High Command regarding the change in the PCC and the CLP leadership.