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1 more legislator joins Congress

Sandesh Prabhudesai in Panjim

In an attempt to foil yet another move by Congress dissidents to topple his four-month-old government, Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro today engineered one more defection, this time from the Nationalist Congress Party.

Francisco D'Souza, one of the two NCP legislators and mayor of Mapuca, officially joined the Congress today after quitting the NCP yesterday. Nine other Mapuca councillors accompanied him.

With this, the strength of the ruling Congress has risen to 26. Besides, independent MLA Isidore Fernandes supports the party from outside in the 40-member House. The earlier defections were two each from the UGDP and the MGP.

D'Souza frankly told journalists that the move was meant to avoid instability and strengthen Faleiro's hands. The latter is shaken up a bit with three of his senior ministers making frequent trips to Delhi to try and get him ousted.

If the high command does not agree, the plan reportedly is to form an alternative government with the help of the BJP, which has 10 MLAs, by splitting the ruling Congress.

Dr Wilfred de Souza, the local NCP chief, agreed that a toppling game is on, but denied being part of it.

Dr de Souza also claimed to have actually blessed the split in the interests of Mapuca's development. He said the state government was harassing D'Souza and stalling all his proposals for development of the town. "He has promised to jump back in case the government falls," added de Souza.

Not denying this, D'Souza says he has now been assured special attention for Mapuca. Even Faleiro indirectly confirmed it, saying that D'Souza would now get full assistance in his developmental schemes.

Dr de Souza, however, refuted the Mapuca mayor's claim that the NCP would ultimately join the Congress. De Souza had split the party last year to form a coalition government with the opposition BJP and MGP and subsequently joined the NCP on the eve of the assembly election, which was held in June.

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