The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Wednesday, October 25, 2000,
Chandigarh, India

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Parrikar sworn in Goa CM
Sardinha quits ahead of trust vote

PANAJI, Oct 24 (PTI) — BJP leader Manohar Parrikar was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Goa today.

A 14-member council of ministers was also sworn in at a simple ceremony at Raj Bhavan here.

Governor Mohammed Fazal administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr Parrikar and the new ministers.

Mr Parrikar heads the first-ever BJP-led government in the tiny coastal state.

Earlier, in the day, Mr Parrikar was invited to form the new government following the resignation of Chief Minister Francisco Sardinha ahead of the trust vote.

Mr Parrikar met the Governor at Raj Bhavan and formally staked claim to form the new government.

Mr Sardinha submitted the resignation of his 11-month-old coalition government this afternoon before the Assembly was to meet, Raj Bhavan sources said.

The swearing-in ceremony was attended by MLAs, senior government officials and other dignitaries.

Earlier, Mr Sardinha resigned without facing a trial of strength in the assembly after four ministers resigned last night dealing him a severe blow.

Mr Sardinha submitted the resignation of his council of ministers to the Governor at Raj Bhavan this afternoon before the Assembly was to meet.

The sources said the notification, summoning the special session of the state Assembly where he was asked to prove his strength after his government was reduced to a minority following the BJP’s withdrawal, has been rescinded.

Shortly before proceeding to Raj Bhavan, Mr Sardinha called a press conference at his official residence to announce his decision to submit the resignation of his 11-month-old coalition government.

“Everybody thought that the Congress would oppose a BJP government, but the turning point came with the CLP’s decision to abstain from voting”, Mr Sardinha said.

“This gave cold feet to those who were to come from the other camp and give us their support”, he said.

“I must thank the BJP which had 11 months ago persuaded all of us to come out of Congress and form a coalition government with the promise it would last its full term”, he added.

Mr Sardinha said what had surprised him was that the BJP withdrew its support when he was out of Goa.

He said, “In a coalition rule, one comes across irritants, but these have to be sorted out by sitting across the table”.

The BJP, Mr Sardinha said, was opposed to the Rs-100-crore bond issue which he had immediately cancelled.

The bonds were floated mainly to meet the financial requirements of the proposed voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) for the government employees, he said.

“From the beginning, I think their (BJP) intentions were to rope in our people and form the government”, Mr Sardinha said.

He assured the new government the support of his party on matters related to development of the state.

The Sardinha government was reduced to a minority after BJP withdrew its support and was asked by the Governor to prove its majority on the floor of the Assembly.

Earlier, four ministers from Goan Peoples Congress Party (GPCP) of Sardinha resigned last night and formed a new party ahead of the trust vote, dealing a further blow to his eleven-month-old government’s efforts to prove its majority on the floor of the House.

The four — Industries Minister Alexio Sequeira, Law Minister Francisco Desouza, Minister for Panchayat Venkatesh Dessai and Agriculture Minister Arecio Desouza, have floated the Goan Peoples Congress Party (Venkatesh group).

They communicated the development to Speaker Pratapsingh Rane, Mr Arecio Desouza said.

The four submitted their letters of resignation to the Governor late last night and the same was communicated to the Chief Minister, Raj Bhavan sources said this morning.

The Sardinha government, which was reduced to a minority after BJP, a key ruling ally, withdrew support to the government, was asked by the Governor to prove its majority on the floor of the state legislative Assembly.

Meanwhile, the Congress Legislative Party met here yesterday and “unanimously” decided not to support the Sardinha government in the vote of confidence, CLP leader and state Congress chief Luizinho Faleiro, who presided over the meeting, told reporters.

Mr Faleiro, former Chief Minister, whose government fell in November last year following a split engineered in Congress by Mr Sardinha, admitted that the incumbent head of government had contacted his party for support in the trust vote.

The partywise strength in the 40-member Assembly is Goa Peoples Congress Party of Francisco Sardinha (seven), BJP (18), Congress (six), Goan Peoples Congress Party (Venkatesh) (four), Congress Sheikh Hassan Group (one), MGP (two), NCP and Independents one each.