TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Goa Vikas Party founder Francisco Mickky Pacheco Friday offered his party’s support to the South Goa BJP candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Mickky represents Nuvem, while his other MLA Caitano Silva has been elected from Benaulim.
“The executive committee meeting held Friday decided to support the BJP, both in North and South Goa,” Mickky told a crowded press conference flanked by his wife Viola, his close aide Lyndon Monteiro, party MLA Caitano Silva, ZP member Nelly Rodrigues, Crispino Sequeira and other office bearers.
Monteiro said that the GVP had been extending issue-based support to the BJP till date and it was only natural that this support was extended to the Lok Sabha.
GVP said that Congress had decided to field tainted candidates, referring to alluding to former home minister and Congress candidate for Lok Sabha Ravi Naik. When reminded that the government had not yet accepted the report, Mickky said that he had spoken to the chief minister who promised to act.
Monteiro claimed that report has been referred to the Home ministry, after which action would be taken in the matter.
Silva also defended the record of the BJP saying that the development of the constituencies of both the MLAs was being given attention by the chief minister. Even though Mickky was a minister in the previous government, such development had not taken place, he said.
Silva who is facing a disqualification petition for being a Portuguese citizen, said that the chief minister had backed him totally.
Both GVP MLAs said BJP is a non communal party. Mickky Pacheco even went to the extent of defending the RSS, the saying that it had never targeted minorities. His colleague Caitano Caitu Silva said that it was the “Congress that is communal” and BJP had never created communal problems in the state.
“I don’t see the RSS as targeting minorities. Therefore supporting the BJP is no issue,” he said.
GVP also said that the Church had never said not to vote for Modi when reminded that this was a national election and the BJP prime ministerial candidate was Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi.
