TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar responded to BJP’s San Andre MLA Vishnu Wagh sniper fire against him, by stripping him of chairmanship of Kala Academy and vice-chairmanship of Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), on Monday.
Wagh had been defiant in challenging the BJP to sack him as MLA and openly joined hands with the Goa Rakhan Manch to stage a dharna in the city on Saturday to protest his government’s medium of instructions policy of giving grants to English medium primary schools.
The MLA, who has been a thorn in the ruling party’s side for some time had accused the chief minister of betraying the cause of local languages and Goans. Wagh thundered that he was ready to give his blood for the cause of the people.
Even as the government moved to strip him of the Kala Academy chairmanship and vice chairmanship of Entertainment Society of Goa, a defiant Wagh said that he would continue to take part in peoples agitations and fight for the people.
The BJP government quickly moved to allocated the Kala Academy chairmanship to Art and Culture Minister Dayanand Mandrekar and former Fatorda MLA Damu Naik has been installed as vice chairman of Entertainment Society of Goa.
Wagh said that he was cool and calm, because politics “is not my bread and butter.” He said that “he would like to tell Parrikar that he can remove these ‘laurels’ but he cannot remove his laurels as a poet or as a writer.”
Wagh who has been tipped for the Congress ticket for north Goa Lok Sabha nomination and had joined the agitation against the government’s recently announced MoI policy once again challenged the BJP to expel him. He however, ruled out his resignation as MLA or from the party as of now.
“Why should I resign? I am just waiting to see if he (CM) has the guts to expel me,” he said even as he admitted that it was the prerogative of the chief minister to do so.
“If they are removing me from KA and ESG, then I want to know why they are keeping me in the party?” he asked. “Do they want me to be an advisor to the chief minister or the president of the party? I am willing to do this,” he said tongue in cheek.
