Team Herald
PONDA: Terming the politicians who defect to other parties as “jumping monkeys” with vested interest, PWD Minister and MGP leader Sudin Dhavalikar said, “this should be stopped in the interest of Goans and survival of small regional parties of Goa.”
He also strongly justified MGP’s decision to field its own candidates in Shiroda and Mandrem against such “jumping monkeys”.
“We want to stop and ban such “jumping monkey’ politicians in Goa,” Dhavalikar said.
Dhavalikar was speaking to the media on Friday after laying the foundation stone for the Rs 5 crore sports complex at Marcaim which falls in his constituency.
On MGP’s decision to contest against BJP in Shiroda, Dhavalikar said the media had got it wrong and recalled that in 2017 Assembly Election MGP had contested against BJP without any pre-poll alliance with the saffron party. But, sadly as voters did not give a clear majority to any political party, MGP supported Manohar Parrikar-led BJP government after the hung assembly.
The PWD minister said that he wanted small parties like MGP to survive and wanted a ban on politicians who jump like monkeys and defecting to join other parties.
Meanwhile, BJP State President Vinay Tendulkar has said that there are still chances that MGP may change their decision and form an alliance with the saffron party. However, Deepak Dhavalikar, MGP President, who has announced that he would be contesting the Shiroda seat, has already begun his campaign in the constituency.
It now appears that there will be a triangular contest between BJP, MGP and Congress in the Assembly by-polls in Shiroda and Mandrem.
Another ruling coalition partner Goa Forward Party has not declared its stand on contesting from Shiroda.
MGP President Deepak Dhavalikar who had approached the court on the defection of the two MLAs said, “We are not contesting against BJP but against politicians who have defected.”
Congress President Girish Chodankar while reacting to MGP contesting from Shiroda said that MGP should stop making a drama henceforth and dared them to withdraw from the coalition government.
