MGP wants Dabolim and Bicholim, but alliance talks after 15 Dec
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 22 September 2016 22:53 IST
Looks like Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party is playing far-fetched politics on the issue of aligning with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party as well as the anti-BJP Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch.
Its president and minister Dipak Dhawalikar today said the talks on alliance and seat sharing would begin only after 15th December.
But at the same time, the top party leaders have gone public on two seats right now – Dabolim and Bicholim.
In fact the war on Dabolim has gone murky with Congress MLA Mauvin Godinho, who wants to contest the seat this time on BJP ticket, has called MGP’s seniormost leader Sudin Dhawalikar a political joker.
In retaliation, Sudin equated Mauvin with monkeys who jump from one tree to another.
“I was with MGP, am with MGP and will always remain with MGP”, said the four-time Madkai MLA since 1999.
Apa Teli, the MGP treasurer went a step ahead, calling Mauvin political garbage which has been rejected by his own Congress party.
The PWD minister once again told the media that they will not compromise on Dabolim under any circumstances though they want to continue its alliance with the BJP.
While opposing BJP’s plan to seize Dabolim to accommodate sitting MLA Mauvin coming from the Congress, the MGP however is not applying the same criteria to Bicholim.
Three of the central executive members of the MGP today said they would insist on getting Bicholim seat to accommodate sitting independent MLA Naresh Sawal.
While MGP had lost Dabolim seat in 2012 to Mauvin, the BJP had lost Bicholim to Sawal.
While speaking publicly about seats like Dabolim and Bicholim, party president Dipak Dhawalikar however said the alliance talks would begin only after 15th December.
“We want to conduct a state-wide survey before talking about seat sharing”, he said.
On the other hand, the MGP is also in touch with the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch, which has appealed to the MGP to break away from the alliance and join hands with them to defeat the BJP.
As there is no indication that MGP would abide to the deadline of 30th September served by the BBSM, its coordinator and RSS leader Subhash Velingkar has said the new party would be announced on 2nd October.
They plan to contest 38 out of 40 seats, if the MGP does not respond to their public appeal.
Sources claim that the MGP would provide candidates to the BBSM party after finalising its candidate in the BJP-MGP alliance.
It needs to be seen what stand the BBSM takes on the MGP if it does not break alliance with the BJP.
The MGP was part of both the Congress and BJP governments, who released grants to the Church-run English medium primary schools.
Though the party remained silent when both the governments took cabinet decisions, they supported the BBSM stand in the public, but not in the cabinet.
