Walk out, but Parsekar will continue to be CM; BJP dares MGP
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 09 December 2016 21:30 IST
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has dared the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party to break the alliance, but will not replace Laxmikant Parsekar as the chief minister.
Dhawalikar brothers have however not yet decided whether to quit the cabinet.
Aam Aadmi Party calls it a Nautanki drama.
BJP legislators Nilesh Cabral and Kiran Kandolkar had a media briefing over the decision of the MGP’s central executive to hold talks over continuing the ruling alliance only if Parsekar is dropped as CM.
“Who is MGP to tell us who should be our leader? If they don’t want any particular leader, they are free to walk out”, said Cabral.
Kandolkar said such decisions should be taken by senior persons like Manohar Parrikar, Nitin Gadkari and Sudin Dhawalikar, not junior persons from the MGP.
Sudin however said the central executive is supreme and not him.
“The decision taken by the central executive is binding on me. I will go with them”, he made it clear, closing the door for any possible talks over alliance until Parsekar is replaced.
The BJP, in a way, however made it amply clear that Parsekar will not be replaced.
But will the Dhawalikar brothers resign in such a situation?
“I am in Pune right now. Let me come down and then we will decide”, said Sudin.
But sources at the Porvorim ministerial block reveal that Dipak Dhawalikar has already taken away all the files from his office and has also stopped going to the minister’s office.
Sudip Tamankar, who is holding the post of Shivsena Goa chief for name-sake, said his bus owners’ association would support the BJP if the MGP walks out.
He had distanced himself from the Shivsena, alleging that Sudin is controlling the Maharashtra-based party by getting his close aide Shivprasad Joshi as the joint state chief of Shivsena.
Aam Aadmi Party’s national spokesperson Ashutosh on the other hand described the whole controversy as a well-orchestrated drama by the BJP-MGP combine.
“If you don’t trust your leader, then you should not be part of the cabinet. Resign immediately instead of fooling the people with such dramas”, he said.
