Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network -Panaji
Panaji, Apr 9: Two congress legislators, including a minister, supporting Digamber Kamat led state government on Wednesday night hinted to resign from the Goa legislative assembly.
Public works department minister, Churchill Alemao and Aleixo Lourenco Reginaldo threatened to resign as the members of legislative assembly (MLA) protesting the alleged `double standard’ adopted by the congress party.
Alemao and Reginaldo
Both the legislators had contested 2007 Goa assembly elections on Save Goa Front party ticket and later merged the party into Congress.
They are now facing disqualification petition thumped on them Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) minister Fransisco alias Miccky Pacheco questioning the merger of Save Goa Front with the Congress. The petition is pending before Speaker of Goa legislative assembly Pratapsingh Rane and next hearing is fixed on April 16.
“My supporters are of the opinion that I should resign. We are waiting to take decision. We will not be hesitant to resign, if party is hell bent to disqualify us,” Alemao told reporters in Margao, late Wednesday night.
Lourenco, on the other hand, said that he is all right with whatever decision taken by his supporters.
Sources in the Congress stated that both the legislators want the party to make their stand clear on the disqualification petition as they fear that they would be disqualified.
Alemao is also perturbed as his daughter Valanka was denied congress ticket from South Goa Lok Sabha seat this time for which he was lobbying hard in Delhi.
On the troubleshooting mission, Goa Pradesh congress committee President Subhash Shirodkar and Chief Minister Digamber Kamat on Wednesday mid-night rushed to the residence of Alemao and held discussions with him on the issue.
After the discussions, the GPCC chief said that there is no question of both the legislators resigning as notices issued by speaker under disqualification petition is a procedural action. “Why will they resign?,” shirodkar shot back.