He is clearly the master of all he surveys. And he is quite clearly an individual centre of attraction, and not his party in this coalition government.
His illness, his absence and the manner in which he was welcomed has crystalised the contours of this coalition like never before. This is a Manohar Parrikar led government and interestingly there’s no ambiguity on this among allies who themselves many not be on the same page with each other on several issues
“We had given him conditional support. We cannot sublet that support or power to someone else,” GFP president and Minister Vijay Sardessai said.
MGP President Deepak Dhavalikar said that there is or there was never a question of withdrawing the support even if Parrikar remains out of question for longer time. “Till he is the chief minister, we are there with the government,” he said.
Therefore it as important for the Chief Minister to make an appearance in the closing minutes of the truncated Assembly session to underscore two points, a) Restore confidence among the allies that he was going to in charge and in the helm of affairs and b) Send a message to the BJP too that any parleys or plans which may have sought to have been made, apprehending his prolonged absence, should be kept at bay. It was also his way of telling the party that he alone will take calls, even now.
“Chief Minister’s sudden arrival in Goa, against the family wish and advice, is a clear indication that all was not well in the government. That is the reason he came back, without even bothering about his health condition. I should appreciate him for this,” a senior BJP leader, on request of anonymity, said.
At the end of Budget speech, the Chief Minister has urged his Ministers and MLAs both ruling and opposition, to be with him and work together for the betterment of the State, during his present health condition. It was clear that this was to put at rest any undercurrent on instability, While Goa is not instability proof, his presence at work, surely strengthens the longevity of the coalition.
