Tuesday, March 1 2005 09:54 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Panaji: Former Chief Minister and Congress MLA Francisco Sardinha was last night (Feb 28, 2005) sworn in as the pro-tem Speaker of the Goa Assembly.

"Francisco Sardinha was sworn in as pro-tem speaker by the Governor at around 19:30 hrs (IST). The appointment letter was issued this evening," GPCC (Goa Pradesh Congress Committee) president Luisinho Faleiro told reporters in Panaji.

"The Governor issued the order after receiving the report of the Legislature secretary regarding the events in the House today. This had to be done today itself as there cannot be a vacuum," he said.

Faleiro, a Minister in the Pratapsinh Rane Government, said the Cabinet would meet with the single agenda to recommend proroguing of the House to the Governor.

"We will be meeting to recommend that the House be prorogued as that is constitutionally required," he said.

However Faleiro denied that the Cabinet would also recommend a fresh date for the vote of confidence, saying "the March 4 deadline does not stand now as the situation has changed and nor is it our fault that the vote of confidence was not held".

The Governor should now give us a fresh date. In fact we feel that we have already won the vote of confidence and there is no need to hold it again.

Claiming that the pro-tem Speaker enjoyed all powers as those of a regular Speaker, Faleiro said speaker Vishwas Satarkar had resigned as BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) had realised that there would be cross voting from its benches and therefore resorted to this drastic step.

Meanwhile, Satarkar has accused Sardinha, Filipe Neri Rodrigues and his lawyer Mahesh Sonak of trying to "break into the Speaker's office" earlier last evening and trying to look for documents.

Congress has however has denied the charge.

Both parties met Governor S C Jamir last evening to apprise him of the situation.