The Digambar Kamat Government in Goa looks set for fresh trouble with the Congress in no mood to agree to removal of one of its ministers to accommodate the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party’s (MGP) Sudin Dhavalikar.

With the Congress Executive Committee saying a firm no, AICC general secretary Hari Prasad has returned to Delhi after deliberations on the issue failed.

Talks had been on for one week over dropping of a minister to accommodate Dhavalikar. NCP supremo Sharad Pawar had promised the same after his party members had joined hands with the MGP and Independent member Vishwajit Rane to overthrow Kamat. High commands of the NCP and Congress had got into action to save the Government, with Pawar working out a formula under which Dhavalikar was to be included in the Cabinet to provide stability to the Government.

However, none of the Congress leaders is ready to make the “sacrifice”. “The executive members today vehemently opposed the move to drop a Congress minister. They feel that the NCP should drop a minister instead,” Congress general secretary Vishnu Wagh told The Indian Express. The feeling within the Congress is that the NCP, with just three members in the House of 40, should not dictate terms to the party, whose strength is 18.

A strong group of Congress leaders, including Home Minister Ravi Naik and Churchill Alemao, are opposed to the inclusion of Dhavalikar, pointing out that he had often troubled the party and was also part of the July 2007 and January 2008 revolts against the Kamat Government.

... contd.