Sonia hints at floor strategy
Trust vote in Goa today

NEW DELHI, Nov 23 (PTI) — Congress President Sonia Gandhi today expressed confidence that the Luizinho Faleiro-led Congress government in Goa would survive the confidence vote tomorrow, hinting that the party had devised a strategy in this regard. She also charged the BJP with trying to make a "backdoor entry to power".

"We will certainly survive in Goa," she told mediapersons at her residence when asked whether the Congress Government, which has been reduced to a minority in Goa following formation of a separate group by rebel Congress legislators, would survive the trust vote.

Asked what strategy the party had adopted to survive the trust vote, Mrs Sonia said: "I am not ready to share the strategy with you today. Wait for the vote of confidence to be over."

Later, party spokesman Anil Shastri said: "It is for the first time in 15 years that the people of Goa gave a clear mandate in favour of a single party. It is unfortunate that the BJP is trying to demolish this mandate by attempting a backdoor entry to power."

"Initially, the BJP had said the party would give outside support to a non-Congress government in Goa, but now they have decided to join the government with the help of Congress rebels," he said.

"It is, therefore, established that it has been a BJP gameplan to destabilise the Congress Government in Goa," he said.

A report from Panaji said still hopeful of a patch up with 11 Congress MLAs who have withdrawn support to the Ministry in Goa, the ruling party today issued a whip to its members, including the breakaway legislators, to attend the Assembly session tomorrow when the Chief Minister seeks the trust vote.

Congress sources said letters had been sent to all members asking them to vote in favour of the confidence motion.

Governor J.F.R. Jacob had instructed the Chief Minister to seek a trust vote in the 40-member House after the MLAs including four ministers and the Deputy Speaker withdrew their support to the Faleiro ministry last Friday.

The party high command has deputed Mr Govindrao Adik and Mr Ramesh Chennithala for the patch-up efforts.

Assembly Speaker Pratapsingh Rane has allotted separate sitting blocks to the Congress dissidents following a request to that effect.

The Speaker said he would allow video-taping of the proceedings, besides live television telecast. The rebel Sardinha group has mustered the support of 25 legislators in the House of 40.

The BJP today said the decision of joining or supporting the breakaway Congress faction in Goa from outside would be taken only after the confidence vote, BJP General Secretary M. Venkiah Naidu, said here today.

"We have decided in principle to support formation of an alternative government in Goa, but whether the BJP would join it or support it will be decided only after the confidence motion tomorrow," Mr Naidu said.

Mr Naidu had earlier said that Mr Francisco Sardinha and other MLAs of the breakaway faction had met the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, the BJP President and himself and apprised them of the situation in the state.