from daijiworld's special correspondent

Panaji, Jun 26: In a midnight drama, Goa’s Congress woman legislator Victoria Fernandes, who went on a hunger strike demanding ministerial berth and hence was looking debilitated, was shifted to the private hospital in presence of Goa chief minister Digamber Kamat, last night.

Fernandes, a four-time legislator, who was left out from the cabinet expansion on Monday, had resorted to indefinite hunger strike protesting against injustice meted out to her.

The chief minister who succeeded in persuading her to go to the hospital could not promise her ministerial berth when he visited her in the midnight.

``I am going to Delhi. We will discuss her issue with the high command. I have full sympathy for her and faith in her loyalty towards the party,’’ he said.

The chief minister seems to be in a piquant situation as he has already expanded his cabinet to its fullest strength by inducting all the 12 ministers. In the first phase, three ministers along with him were sworn in while the second phase saw eight ministers being inducted into it.

The former deputy speaker, who had got elected in a close battle from Santa Cruz constituency, was in the race for ministerial berth. She was expecting the position in the second phase of expansion which was executed on Monday.

"Even congress president Sonia Gandhi had promised ministerial position to me…. I feel insulted,’’  thus had 70-year-old Fernandes reacted soon after the swearing in ceremony which did not figured her name.

While Fernandes began her strike at 10.30 am, her health started deteriorating by evening but she refused to accept any medication.

A few minutes before the swearing in, when it was confirmed that her name did not figure in the second list, Victoria had begun indefinite hunger strike at captain of ports jetty in the heart of the city.

Repeated attempts by Congress leaders including Mahila Pradesh Congress committee president Monica Dias failed in getting the chief minister to intervene in the midnght.