Panaji: Disgruntled Congress MLAs on Wednesday
intensified their pressure on the party high command to change
the state leadership and claimed they received a positive
response from Goa Assembly Speaker Pratapsingh Rane to take
over as the chief minister.
Rane, however, said he was a Congress loyalist and would
abide by the high command`s word.
Hectic parleys were on in the state capital with MLAs
meeting at the residence of United Goans Democratic Party
(UGDP) legislator Atanasio Monserratte. Five Congress and
seven non-Congress legislators have joined hands against Chief
Minister Digamber Kamat.
"I am a (Congress) party’s man. I will do whatever my
high command wants," Rane, a former Goa CM, said over
phone from his constituency in Poriem when asked whether he is
willing to take over the CM`s chair.
He said that he will not go by any group or combinations.
"Groups cannot make me chief minister. My high command will
decide and I will abide by it," Rane said.
The Congress legislators including Churchill Alemao,
Fransic Silveira, Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, Pandurang
Madkaikar and Agnelo Fernandes had initiated the move against
Kamat, which was supported by a group of seven non-Congress
legislators.
PTI
