Is MGP heading for a break-away from the BJP?
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 07 December 2016 21:34 IST
Looks like Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party is all set to break its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The first official step in this regard may be taken at the crucial meeting of the central executive scheduled tomorrow morning.
“Most of our executive members want to break the alliance”, confirms Adv Narayan Sawant, party’s working president.
This comes on the heels of Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar telling the media yesterday that he would try and keep the alliance intact though some MGP members are probably trying to explore a ‘different path’.
Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch Subhash Velingkar has also hinted that Goa would witness a major upheaval in coming days.
Though MGP working president Sawant claims that no thought has been given to the proposal of aligning with Goa Suraksha Manch (the BBSM’s political outfit), sources confirm that the next step of the new Gatbandhan after breaking the alliance is obvious.
Minister Dipak Dhawalikar has also told Lokmat how BJP has always humiliated them in the alliance and stalled works in their three constituencies; thereby creating enough ground to break the alliance.
While Dipak as well as Ponda MLA Lavoo Mamledar have been publicly speaking in favour of breaking the alliance, it became more evident when PWD minister Sudin Dhawalikar openly spoke against the low quality-high cost work of the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation.
He made the allegation at a function of PWD’s new building at Altinho in the presence of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s right-hand man and GSIDC vice chairman Siddharth Kuncalienker.
Adding fuel to the fire, Mamledar at a PWD function at Opa sarcastically said in his speech that Siddharth (sitting on the dais) should actually be made the CM of Goa after next election.
“If he comes for the PWD function instead of our PWD minister, then doesn’t he become the proxy CM of Goa”, he asked the media persons after the function.
MGP, which was given only nine seats in 2012 election, are today demanding 15 seats, including Dabolim and Bicholim.
The basis for the demand of MGP about these two seats is self-contradictory.
The MGP is opposed to give its old seat of Dabolim to accommodate the Congress MLA (Mauvin Godinho) who would join the BJP to contest next election.
But at the same time, the MGP wants BJP’s Bicholim seat to accommodate the independent MLA (Naresh Sawal) who would join the MGP to contest.
MGP supremo Sudin Dhawalikar has clearly stated, at a youth rally of MGP in Dabolim and Sawal-organised women’s convention in Bicholim, that his party would not compromise on these two seats.
This makes it clear that the demand of Dabolim and Bicholim are nothing but a ground created to break the alliance since meeting this contradictory demand is not only illogical but impossible.
It needs to be seen now whether MGP would take a decision to break the alliance tomorrow or would make a beginning by making a firm resolve on not compromising on these two seats.
