Click to play videoPanaji: There has been a definite political fall-out of criminal charges of abetment of rape, against Goa Education Minister, Babush Monserrate. Monserrate's son has been accused of raping a minor German girl.
The Digambar Kamat government is now in serious trouble with a group of MLAs demanding a change of leadership.
A meeting at Babush Monserrate's residence was attended by Ministers Churchill Alemao and Jose Philip D'Souza among others. The Congress and NCP MLAs drafted a memorandum seeking a change of leadership in the state.
Sources say the memorandum has more than 10 signatories and Babush, meanwhile, has launched a frontal attack on Home Minister Ravi Naik.
"I have been made personal target. See who handles the Home Department and you will understand it," Babush said.
Meanwhile, Ravi Naik denies he is targeting Babush, but he is in no mood to go soft on the case at the same time.
"Police are doing their job and I will not interfere in the investigation. Let the law take its own course and the guilty be arrested," said Ravi Naik.
And Chief Minister Digambar Kamat says he doesn't mind the political ramifications of the case.
"When such cases happen there are bound to be ramifications. This case has nothing to do with the Goa government. It's a matter of investigation," he said.
With the Congress leadership sending Party Secretary Rajiv Shukla to talk to the dissenting MLAs, things are likely to hot up now.
IANS REPORT: Congress denies rift in Goa coalition, Naik skips meet |
On Thursday night, Home Minister Ravi Naik stayed away from a meeting of legislators also attended by All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary In-charge of Goa, B Hariprasad, who denied that the party's central leadership had sent him to the state to seal the rift in the cabinet. "I was only called to discuss some problems faced by the legislators in their constituencies," Hariprasad told reporters. But the divisions were apparent in the coalition led by the Congress and including the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP) and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP). Earlier on Thursday, Public Works Department Minister Churchill Alemao had said categorically: "There is a split in the cabinet." Education Minister Babush Monseratte, the lone UGDP legislator, whose son Rohit has been charged with raping a 14-year-old German girl, has claimed that he was being targeted by Naik. He also accused Naik, whose son Roy has been linked to the murder of British teenager Scarlett Keeling, of double standards. The clash between the Congress minister and the UGDP minister has precipitated a crisis in the Goa government. A group of more than a dozen legislators has asked the Congress high command for a change in leadership. Trying to cool down tensions, Hariprasad said there was no tussle between Naik and Monseratte. "The law must take its own course," he replied, when asked about the rape complaint against Monseratte's son. On Wednesday, Monseratte had told reporters: "The Home Minister is orchestrating the police, who are after us." Monseratte said Chief Minister Digamber Kamat should take note of the developments. "Today it is me. Tomorrow it could be some other MLA (legislator)," he warned. A group of legislators, including Alemao, Aleixo Reginald, Chandrakant Kavlekar, Babu Azgaonkar, Agenlo Fernandes and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) member Jose Philip Dsouza, had met Wednesday night at Monserratte's home and decided to demand Kamat's ouster. However, after Thursday's meeting of the Congress party, Kamat said: "I have survived (as chief minister) only because I carry all sections together with me." He added that he had assured Monseratte that no injustice would be done to him. In the 39-member Assembly, the Congress has 17 legislators, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 14, NCP three, UGDP one, MGP two and there are two independents./p> |
Goa's ruling Congress has denied any rift in the ranks, but tensions were evident with its home minister conspicuous by his absence at a meeting to resolve differences following a minister's son being charged with the rape of a German teenager.
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