Bhatia who began his day with a breakfast meeting at the residence of Rane was heckled for this by some Congress MLAs who are demanding the ouster of the former chief minister as leader of the Congress Legislative Party (CLP).

Rajya Sabha member from the state, John Fernandes even went on record to question the bonafides of the AICC observer. ``I told him that he was here as a representative of AICC general secretary Madhavrao Scindia,'' he told press persons after a meeting with Bhatia.

The dissidents are blaming the split in the Congress party on a nexus between Scindia and Rane. Ten legislators led by former deputy chief minister Wilfred D'Souza broke away from the BJP and the MGP. The break-away Goa Rajiv Congress leaders insistthat they were pleading for a change in leadership till the last moment. In fact, the prospects of wooing some of the GRC legislators back to the Congress-fold following the removal of Rane is ample fuel to the dissidents fire.

Opposition to Pratapsinh Rane in the rump Congress party flared up on Friday evening after the speaker of the Goa assembly Tomasinhe Cardoze issued a notification recognising the former chief minister as leader of the Opposition. Former Congress ministers Luizinho Faleiro and Mauvin Godinho are in the forefront for the removal of Rane as CLP leader. They reportedly told Bhatia that the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Shantaram Naik had no authority to send a letter to the Speaker saying Rane had been appointed leader of the CLP.

At today's meeting Rane and Shantaram Naik were virtually isolated as party workers demanded their removal. Even Churchill Almao, whose two United Goans Democratic Party legislators joined the Congress at Rane's behest, has turned against theformer chief minister. At today's meeting, he supported the stand taken by Faleiro and Godinho.

BJP NOT TO JOIN GOVT: The realignment of political forces in the Congress and the break-away Goa Rajiv Congress has caused the BJP to refrain from participating in the government.

The party's four MLAs will however lend unconditional support to the Wilfred D'Souza government, according to BJP leaders.