Friday, June 10 2005 11:34 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Panaji/Surat: Pratapsinh Rane Government in Goa was today (Jun 10, 2005) expanded with the induction of seven Cabinet Ministers.

Those inducted were, Digambar Kamat, Atnasio 'Babush' Monseratte, Pandurang Madkaikar, Subhash Shirodkar, Louisinho Faleior, Joaquim Alemao and Dayanand Narvekar.

They were administered the oath of office and secrecy by the Governor S C Jamir at Raj Bhavan in Panaji.

Of these members, Kamat, Monserratte and Madkaikar had recently won the Margao, Talegaon and Cumbharjua Assembly seats.

However, the name of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate Fancisco Pacheco was missing from the list of candidates inducted into the Ministry today, despite NCP threat to withdraw support for not honouring commitment regarding Cabinet berth.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar, accused the Congress-led coalition Government of not observing "coalition dharma" but however, said his party would not pull out of the Government.

"This is injustice. It is the responsibility of the (Pratapsinh) Rane Government to induct our MLA and Congress is going against its promise by inducting only its MLAs in the Cabinet expansion," Pawar told reporters before the beginning of the second day proceedings of party's national convention in Surat.

"Although we are not happy at what is going on, we will not take any action which would benefit BJP," he added. "There is bound to be disagreement in coalition politics but one has to look at the larger interests," he said.

Earlier, Pawar discussed the Goa situation with NCP leader in Goa, Dr Wilfred DeSouza, Union Minister Praful Patel and party general secretary Tariq Anwar.

DeSouza, who came out of the meeting first, refused to talk to waiting media men.

Last night (Jun 9, 2005) he had threatened to withdraw support to the Rane Government if the commitment of including NCP MLA (Mikky Pacheco) was not honoured.