http://oheraldo.in/node/8962?PHPSESSID=1573dcddbd36d5133744e6f16003e621
Dotor loyalists claim majority BY HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, JAN 24 – In a swift counter move, Dr Willy camp managed to get signatures of majority of executive members in its favour even as the NCP feud seems to have reached a point of no return. General secretary and party spokesman Surendra Furtado claimed that 22 executive members have signed a memorandum reposing faith in the leadership of Dr Wilfred de Souza in Goa. He said three members who had signed the list produced by Mickky Pacheco group – former Cuncolim MLA Arecio D'Souza, Dr Shankar Nadkarni and Prashant Arsekar – have come out strongly in favour of Dr Willy. Besides, he said, two members from the 30-member executive committee – Fatima D'Sa and Raul Pereira who are abroad, are strongly with Dr Willy. He further said that in the list of 11 members who have signed requisitioning an emergency executive committee meeting of Goa NCP, three are not from the executive. BJP: In a new twist to the factional fight in the NCP, Furtado alleged that BJP is behind the current crisis in the party. The BJP, he claimed, is worried that NCP is growing stronger by the day and that in the future elections, alliance with Congress would doom the saffron party. Referring to the news of rival group leaving for Mumbai, Furtado said that NCP headquarters is not in Mumbai but in Delhi. Other view: Two Vice Presidents Dr Carmo Pegado and Jose Philip D'Souza who are signatories requisitioning emergency meeting of the State executive to sort out the present crisis, have asserted that they have never asked Dr Willy to step down as the party president. "On the contrary, we want the party to grow and resolve the crisis it is going through," they said calling for an amicable solution to end the row. This is perhaps the worst political crisis within the party for Dr Willy in recent years. He has managed to get the support of many members as of now but political circles say that this may not end the crisis so soon. Sources said that various factors have led to the simmering differences overnight snowballing in to a major crisis. Though last week, senior leaders wanted truce between Willy and Mickky camps, the developments that unfolded including non-recognition of the co-ordination committee, trading of charges and counter charges, led to the two factions now gearing up for a war, though some senior leaders are trying for a rapprochement. -- May your God be with you. Gabe Menezes. London, England
