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STATE3.TXT
Rupesh Samant / Panaji
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is once again coming out in the
open to express its bitterness over the functioning of Chief Minister
Pratapsingh Rane. This time, NCP leaders have met Governor SC Jamir and
put across their sentiments.
NCP Goa chief Dr Wilfred D'Souza along with legislator and Minister in
the Rane Cabinet Micky Pacheco met the Governor on Tuesday "expressing
their unhappiness over happenings in the Government", in a written
complaint. The party, however, did not mention whether it was intending
to withdraw from the Government.
Bitterness between the two factions of the coalition Government - the
NCP and the Congress - first came to the fore when the State Government
decided to appoint Goa Youth Congress president Girish Chodankar as
chairman of Goa's Horticulture Corporation. Mr Pacheco, who is the
Agriculture Minister, claimed he was not consulted before Mr
Chodankar's appointment.
It is understood that the Congress and the NCP, while joining hands to
form the Government, had an understanding on appointments to various
Corporations. According to that understanding, the Horticulture
Corporation's chairman was supposed to be a person of NCP's choice.
However, Chief Minister Rane chose to ignore this deal, the NCP feels.
Even as the controversy simmered, Mr Pacheco issued a notice to
Director of Agriculture Ramesh Joshi for Mr Chodankar's appointment as
chairman.
Even before this controversy could die down, another was kicked off
when the State Government refused to appoint Mr Pacheco as chairman of
Goa's Government-owned animal slaughter plant which falls under the
Animal Husbandry Ministry, a portfolio Mr Pacheco holds. However, the
Chief Minister appointed Development Commissioner KJ Dadu as chairman
of the Goa meat complex.
Faced with these humiliations, Mr Pacheco, led by party leader Dr
D'Souza, has sought the Governor's intervention in the matter. Although
the NCP is bitter about the entire episode, none of its leaders has
commented on withdrawing support from the Government.
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Regards,
Carlos
