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Congress hopes for a
'homecoming' in Goa

The four former ministers, belonging to former chief minister Francisco Sardinha's Goan People's Congress Party, who broke away on Wednesday night may join the Congress.

Though this is another split in a series in the tiny tourist state, this is being viewed as a major step towards attempts to destabilise the one and a half month old Bharatiya Janata Party government.

With former minister Somnath Zuwarkar as leader, Subhash Shirodkar, Victoria Fernandes and Francisco Silveira submitted a letter to Speaker Pratapsing Rane on Wednesday night, forming the GPCP-Zuwarkar.

Admitting that all four would be readmitted to the Congress shortly, Congress spokesman Jitendra Deshprabhu also said it could be seen as an indication that a polarisation of 'secular-minded' persons had begun under the Congress.

The four, with seven others, had split from the then ruling Congress last November under Sardinha's leadership, forming a coalition government with the BJP.

The government collapsed within 11 months as eight more legislators from the Congress and two from Sardinha's GPCP split and joined the BJP to form yet another government. It also increased the strength of the saffron party to 20.

As changing parties has become routine in Goan politics, this is the 10 split in the state since the assembly was constituted in June last year. The number of defectors has now reached 35 in the 40-member House.

While 17 legislators are with no defection recorded in their names at least in this assembly, 20 among the defectors have made a record of splitting more than once.

Besides Francisco D'Souza, now with the BJP after defecting five times in 18 months, there are four legislators who have split thrice, while 15 have split at least twice since elected this time.

The tradition of defections began in the state since 1990, which has made Goa the most unstable state with 13 chief ministers and two brief spells of President's rule and a premature dissolution of the assembly.

It began once again in the ninth assembly despite the Congress being given a clear mandate. While former chief minister Luizinho Faleiro engineered defections in three parties to increase the party's strength to 26, the subsequent six splits reduced the Congress to six, including the Speaker.

"But people have realised that it is nothing but the Congress," stated Deshprabhu while welcoming the four colleagues back home. He also does not deny the possibility of more 'secular-minded' persons joining the party, to keep communal forces out of power.

While this has helped Faleiro snatch the position of Opposition leader from Sardinha (his party is now reduced to three), political activity has gained momentum towards toppling the BJP government.

Plans are afoot to woo at least eight colleagues from the BJP, while Faleiro confirms that some more who had left the party have approached the high command for a 'homecoming'.

Speaker Rane, who was indirectly supporting the BJP, has gone to Delhi to meet the Congress high command. He is sitting on disqualification petitions filed against six BJP ministers, who are former Congressmen.

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