BJP threatens to review support
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 08 October 1998 16:25 ISTHardly two months are completed after Dr Wilfred de Souza was sworn in and the Bharatiya Janata Party, supporting his coalition government from outside, has threatened to review their support if corruption is not dealt with firmly.
"Dr Willy should not take our unconditional support for granted. If we can bring down Pratapsing Rane (former Congress chief minister), then we can also pull down Dr Willy", warns Manohar Parrikar, the local BJP leader.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the government's negligent attitude towards the corruption cases, the BJP has set a deadline till November end, after which the party is planning to review the government performance and take the decision accordingly.
Inspite of having only four legislators in the 40-member House, the BJP has gained importance due to its power at the centre. Capitalising on it, the party had compelled the coalition to bring back the CBI office in Goa, to probe into corruption cases against former Congress ministers and top bureaucrats.
One such power scandal, against former power minister Mauvin Godinho, was unearthed by Parrikar himself. But police investigations gained momentum only after the Congress was toppled, while handing over the case to the CBI is still the task unfulfilled.
The BJP here has also made a prestige issue of transferring Dr M Modassir, managing director of the state-run Economic Development Corporation, whose corrupt practices were exposed by them during the Congress regime. "Why is the CM protecting him", asks Parrikar.
He also sees no point in continuing support to the government, which cannot nail down the corrupt politicians and officers. While de Souza himself has said in the past that pulling down his government would mean dissolution of the House, the BJP appears to be delaying it till Assembly elections in the three states, scheduled for next month.
On the other hand, irrigation minister Dayanand Narvekar is still making all possible attempts to go back to the Congress by splitting the Goa Rajiv Congress, the breakaway group they had formed earlier. But presently it is being countered by de Souza, who is wooing five more Congress MLAs to join the ruling coalition.
