Panaji: NCP president Sharad Pawar's directive to Goa Chief Minister Digamber Kamat to re-induct controversial MLA Fransisco Pacheco in the ministry resulted in a group of 10 Congress legislators tonight threatening to topple its own government in such an eventuality.
The government would be toppled within minutes if Pacheco, a former tourism minister, is sworn-in, the MLAs said at a press conference here.
Asserting that they would not bow down to any diktat even if it is from the party high command, the legislators, led by Public Works Department minister Churchill Alemao, asked Congress general secretary B Hariprasad, in-charge of state affairs, to immediately rush to Goa to resolve the crisis.
Goa is facing a fresh round of political instability, ever since NCP asked both its ministers - Jose Philip D'Souza and Nilkant Halarnkar, to quit from the state cabinet.
"Pacheco has a murder case against him. He is also named as an accused in money laundering case. We don't want anyone with tainted character in the cabinet," Alemao said reminding that Congress had dropped its own MLA Dayanand Narvekar when his name figured in the infamous ODI ticket scam.
Alemao said demands of the group were in line with the policy of Congress to not allow tainted persons take over as ministers in the state government.
"What is the need to destabilise the current cabinet? Why should two ministers be dropped to induct a tainted character?" Alemao asked.
"A similar formula should be adopted in Goa," he added.
When asked why the presence of Monserratte, who also faces a criminal charge for allegedly attacking a police station, in the state cabinet was not questioned by the group, Alemao refused to comment on it.
Although the group has warned Kamat of toppling his government, Alemao refrained from stating whether they will pull out the support or resign en masse.
"We can even go (to the polls) without NCP in the state as we have enough numbers on our side," the minister said, adding that they were ready to face polls even tomorrow.
The government would be toppled within minutes if Pacheco, a former tourism minister, is sworn-in, the MLAs said at a press conference here.
Asserting that they would not bow down to any diktat even if it is from the party high command, the legislators, led by Public Works Department minister Churchill Alemao, asked Congress general secretary B Hariprasad, in-charge of state affairs, to immediately rush to Goa to resolve the crisis.
Goa is facing a fresh round of political instability, ever since NCP asked both its ministers - Jose Philip D'Souza and Nilkant Halarnkar, to quit from the state cabinet.
Advertisement
"Pacheco has a murder case against him. He is also named as an accused in money laundering case. We don't want anyone with tainted character in the cabinet," Alemao said reminding that Congress had dropped its own MLA Dayanand Narvekar when his name figured in the infamous ODI ticket scam.
Advertisement
Alemao said demands of the group were in line with the policy of Congress to not allow tainted persons take over as ministers in the state government.
Advertisement
"What is the need to destabilise the current cabinet? Why should two ministers be dropped to induct a tainted character?" Alemao asked.
Advertisement
"A similar formula should be adopted in Goa," he added.
Advertisement
When asked why the presence of Monserratte, who also faces a criminal charge for allegedly attacking a police station, in the state cabinet was not questioned by the group, Alemao refused to comment on it.
Although the group has warned Kamat of toppling his government, Alemao refrained from stating whether they will pull out the support or resign en masse.
"We can even go (to the polls) without NCP in the state as we have enough numbers on our side," the minister said, adding that they were ready to face polls even tomorrow.
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Goa Government Issues Extreme Heat Wave Advisory Till April 8 Goa Government To Launch AI Chatbots To Interact With Citizens: Minister Goa Files Police Complaint Against Uber For Operating "Illegally" In State World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage 4 Passengers Die As 12 Coaches Of Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express Derail In UP Why BJP Lost Lok Sabha Polls In Uttar Pradesh - 6 Reasons In Party Report Sensex Breaches 81,000 Mark, Nifty Scales 24,800 Peak On IT, FMCG Gains 'Yodha' Is A Mammoth Documentation Of India's Wars And Battles Woman Dies After Jumping Off Elevated Platform At Delhi Metro Station: Cops Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.