from Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji (GA)
Panaji, Oct 16: Frenzied political activities were witnessed in the State as the group of ministers and legislators supporting state education minister Atanasio Monserratte kept their pressure on.
The group has been pressing for the leadership change in the state or justice to Monserratte's family, which according to them has been unnecessarily targeted by the State police.
"How can you justify the police move to charge Monserratte's elder son of rape when the medical examination on the victim girl is not conducted?," senior Congress leader and public works department minister Churchill Alemao questioned during a press conference.
Alemao is amongst the group of legislators who have stood rock strong behind Monserratte, whose elder son Rohit has been charged of raping a minor German girl.
The victim's mother had lodged a complaint of rape, outraging the modesty, abetting the crime and sending lewd messages to her 14-year-old daughter.
Police have booked Rohit under various sections related to child sexual abuse and are on look-out for him. Monserratte has also been charged by police for abetting the crime as mobile used for sending obscene text messages is in his name.
Monserratte, a high profile politician in the state, raked up support for his son. Congress leaders including Alemao, his brother Joaquim Alemao, Agnelo Fernandes, Manohar Asgaonkar, Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco and others have lobbied behind Monserratte.
The group which met in Panaji last night has decided to submit the memorandum to Congress high command seeking state leadership change.
Sensing trouble, the Congress national leaders have commissioned All India Congress Committee General secretary B Hariprasad to defuse Goa crisis.
Congress sources confirmed that Hariprasad would be arriving in the state this evening and will hold talks with the chief minister.
"There are certain disturbances in the state due to differences between one of our alliance partner (Monserratte) and state police," Hariprasad earlier had conceded.
Entire state cabinet is split with the issue as ministers including home minister Ravi Naik, power minister Aleixo Sequiera and others backing the chief minister.
Monserratte's group has other cabinet colleagues including Nationalist Congress Party leader Jose Philip D'Souza. Howevever, NCP's two other legislators – Fransisco Pacheco and Nilkant Halarnkar have not spelt-out their stand.
"There is a split in the cabinet or else why would have been assembling here?," Alemao questioned during a press conference in the morning.
The rebel group is expected to meet Hariprasad in the evening once the Congress leaders meet Kamat at his official residence sometimes later in the evening.
Kamat earlier during the day talking had said that he is not disturbed by any political move. "Whenever such incidents happen, there is bound to have ramifications," the chief minister said referring to the case against Rohit.
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