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Alemao and Khalap, they go at each other with gusto!

All ain't well in Goa, that land of golden sun and silver sand. There is a war out there -- a full fledged, no-holds-barred one...

On one side you have Union Law Minister Ramakant Khalap, a bit on the defensive, trying to look unflustered and in control. Attacking him with great gusto is his United Front colleague and United Goans Democratic Party leader Churchill Alemao, complete with former prime minister H D Deva Gowda's eager blessings.

Alemao's grief is that Khalap 'spoiled' his 'chances' of becoming a minister -- and the south Goa MP would be darned if he let that go unresponded. As for Deve Gowda's best wishes, the reason is obvious: Didn't Khalap shift his loyalties to I K Gujral the minute the humble farmer got booted?

Alemao's plan is to beat the minister at his own game. That is, to kill his ministerial aspirations by defeating Khalap in his home constituency, north Goa. For which Alemao plans to field a UGDP candidate against the soon-to-be ex-law minister.

As such, Khalap is expected to have a rough time as he has to face the ruling Congress as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party. Alemao's decision poses a serious threat to the minister -- by not fielding a candidate last time, the UGDP had played a major role in Khalap's victory (he had won the seat with a margin of just 9,000 votes.)

"Khalap is communal. He is an opportunist," holds Alemao, "He first tried to get a berth in the BJP government. Later, he managed to be the law minister with Sharad Pawar's help."

Khalap, for his part, dismisses Alemao's allegations as the result of pure 'frustration'.

"Everyone knows why I was preferred over him for the berth", says the minister, who was given independent charge of the law ministry when judicial activism was at its peak.

In order to counter Alemao's moves to get a berth in the first UF government, Khalap had circulated a pamphlet among the constituents, describing Alemao as an alleged smuggler and underworld leader.

"Recently, he was leading a group of independent MPs from small states, attempting to forge an alliance with the BJP," claims the Khalap camp.

Since Goa has only two MPs, it becomes insignificant in terms of national politics. But most of the central leaders prefer at least one Goan MP in the ministry. Which, expectedly, almost always causes a major tussle between the two aspirants.

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