Panaji: Goa Assembly Speaker has summoned all the three NCP MLAs for a meeting on January 24, after the party informed that it wanted to replace its whip and the legislative wing`s president.
Speaker Pratapsingh Rane told reporters last night that he has summoned all the three NCP MLAs as he has received a letter from their party about replacement of the legislative wing`s
president and the whip.
After meeting the three MLAs (Jose Philip D`Souza, Nilkant Halarnkar and Fransisco Micky Pacheco), the Speaker will give his decision on January 25.
NCP`s General Secretary T P Pithambaram on December 31 had written to the Speaker informing about appointment of Pacheco as the legislative wing`s president as well as the
whip of the party in the Legislative Assembly.
The letter followed D`Souza and Halarnkar`s refusal to accept the party diktat to resign from Chief Minister Digamber Kamat`s cabinet. NCP was reportedly unhappy with the duo`s
close relations with Congress.
Sources close to Halarnkar said that both he and D`Souza have resolved to remain united. They are likely to tell the Speaker that they want to continue with D`souza as legislative wing`s president and Halarnkar as the whip.
Sources pointed out that two out of three legislators will make up a majority, and Speaker will have to take that into consideration.
NCP Goa unit President Surendra Sirsat said that the party will wait for the Speaker`s decision.
"Let him say something then only we can react...We expect that Speaker will respect the letter given by the party," he said.
PTI
