With hopes of coming to power slim, Goa’s Congress legislative unit could face a split, with a legislator claiming that he would have to rethink his place in the party, if party’s vice-president Rahul Gandhi fails to intervene and act tough against the top brass.
Three-time Congress MlA from Valpoi, Vishwajit Rane, whose father Pratap Singh Rane is the party’s senior most legislator, accused top Congress leadership and Central overseers of conspiring with the BJP leadership to allow the saffron party to form a Government.
“If Rahul Gandhi does not respond, I will believe that I am not a right fit in the party. I will have to decide along with my fellow legislators and people about the next step. I feel that Rahul Gandhi will reply. let us see what happens in two days,” Rane told The Pioneer while adding that he had written a letter to the Congress vice-president claiming the support of “like-minded” legislative colleagues.
The BJP with 13 MlAs piped the Congress, which had 17 MlAs in the 40-member Goa legislative Assembly, to the post in the race for the Government formation in the coastal State in a dramatic sequence of events which played out over the last few days.
While the Congress leadership and MlAs dithered over choosing a Congress legislative party leader on Saturday and Sunday, the BJP, led by then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, reacted swiftly by cobbling together a coalition of three MlAs each from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and the Goa Forward, while also tying in two Independent MlAs to secure a majority of 21 seats.
Parrikar was sworn in as Chief Minister on Tuesday by Governor Mridula Sinha, even as the Congress accused her being partial to the BJP and accusing the latter of hijacking the popular mandate.
While Rane admits that the role of the Governor is in question, the delay by the Congress leadership was frustrating an inexplicable. “It was absolute mismanagement. They (Congress leaders) have done it in such a way that, it feels that they did not want a Government in Goa. I will be meeting Rahulji and will eventually decide (on his future in the Congress) after talking to him,” Rane said.
“Two days were taken to choose a ClP leader. Those who were in charge did mismanagement. The Supreme Court also said this. They are experienced people, but these experienced people did not know what to do, what step to take to form Government. Parrikar came from Delhi and swiftly spoke to everyone concerned, got the 21 number and formed a Government," Rane also said.
Parrikar will be facing a floor test in the state legislative assembly on Thursday evening.