REBELLION AGAINST THE HIGH COMMAND OF NCP

PANJIM: In what could be a major rebellion against the high command, Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) Goa ministers held a meeting of their supporters resisting to quit from the Cabinet warning the party leaders of mass resignations.

In a two major public meetings held in the constituencies represented by Revenue Minister Jose Philip D'Souza and Tourism Minister Nilkant Halarnkar, on Sunday, the supporters warned the high command against dropping them from the Cabinet.

The meeting at Vasco, a constituency of D'Souza, adopted a resolution against NCP's state coordinator Praful Hede, who had asked both the ministers to resign.

"There will be mass resignations from the party, if the minister is dropped," said Kritesh Gaonkar, D’Souza’s close associate, addressing a gathering. "This is a conspiracy against D’Souza to sabotage his political career," Gaonkar, former chairperson of Mormugao Municipal council, said.

D'Souza and Halarnkar have been asked to resign by their state party president Surendra Sirsat pending enquiry against them. Both the ministers were allegedly hobnobbing with the Congress legislators in the state which prompted the party to initiate probe against them.

NCP had said that they want to induct legislator Fransisco Pacheco into the cabinet by dropping the ministers. – PTI