16 Sep 2018 | 05:56am IST
Don’t call him CM, let him behave as one: NDA allies cosplay with Sudin as leader
Hectic parleys to accept Dhavalikar as compromise CM but with a deputy tag; Senior Central BJP leaders to soothe ruffled feathers within and outside BJP tomorrow and day after
PANJIM: Even as BJP went into a disaster control mode as ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar conveyed his inability to take up his constitutional responsibilities to party chief Amit Shah, a common consensus on Ramkrishna (Sudin) Dhavalikar is likely to emerge.
The discussion, however, over the next few days will be whether Dhavalikar will be the acting Chief Minister or the Deputy Chief Minister with Chief Ministerial mandate or simply be the BJP-MGP combines common CM candidate.
Sources confirm that Ram Lal, BJP National General Secretary (Organisation) will be arriving on Sunday evening and begin consultation over Monday and Tuesday to seal the decision over the next leader of the cabinet.
Ramlal is likely to be joined by Union Surface Transport, Ports Minister Nitin Gadkari who is expected to join him late Monday evening or Tuesday. Gadkari played a crucial role in bringing together the coalition last year and is expected to charm BJP’s alliance partner GFP to fall in line. BJP’s Vice President and Goa Desk in charge Avinash Rai Khanna too is expected, as is another functionary.
Though Dhavalikar’s candidature is expected to go through smoothly, the BJP high command is not prepared to upset its own MLAs and coalition partners given the fact that India goes to polls next year and both the Parliamentary seats in Goa are crucial to its national numbers and disgruntled MLAs and coalition partners would affect its prospects in Goa.
Meanwhile, at the state level, BJP's core committee members have fanned out to prepare the grounds for the meetings. BJP State core committee leader Datta Kholkar met GFP president Vijai Sardesai in Fatorda to explain to him the party's strategy. The GFP boss is said to have stated that Parrikar should remain the CM and there is no question of an acting CM too. The possibility of Dhavalikar as Deputy CM was the only acceptable proposition. Elsewhere at Paryatan Bhavan later in the evening, Kholkar and South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar met Nilesh Cabral, Michael Lobo and Pramod Sawant and the troika have conveyed a similar plan. The final decision, however, would be taken after meetings with BJPs senior office bearers over Monday and Tuesday.
Meanwhile, despite MGP President Pandurang (Deepak) Dhavalikar’s constant stress on the seniormost cabinet member (read: his brother and MGP minister Sudin) becoming the next CM being seen as pressure tactics, Sudin’s ascension is imminent. And whether the coalition partners have problems with semantics and nomenclatures, he is all set to be the next CM.
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3 BJP Central observers arriving today
Three national BJP leaders will be arriving in Goa on Sunday to take stock of the situation in the State as per directions given by BJP national president Amit Shah.
BJP All India general secretary Ram Lal, BJP Goa desk in charge B L Santosh and organising secretary Vijay Puranik are scheduled to visit Goa. While Santosh will be arriving in the afternoon, Lal will land in the evening.
The Central observers will meet allies of the coalition government, BJP MLAs as well as core team for two days and report to Shah.
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A closed-door meeting between three BJP leaders sparked speculation of dissent within the saffron brigade over Ramkrishna (Sudin) Dhavalikar’s name being proposed for the chief minister’s post.
Speaker Pramod Sawant, Dy Speaker Michael Lobo and Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral met at Paryatan Bhavan on Saturday evening for over an hour. Sources revealed there was dissent to Dhavalikar’s reported elevation.
Speaking to Herald Cabral, however, denied any such development saying, “We just coincidentally met. Nothing much should be read into it.”
Lobo said the decision about leadership change would be taken by Central leaders in consultation with MLAs and alliance partners. “No name has been decided yet. Rumours spread are attempts to create confusion of instability,” he said.
Parrikar admitted in Delhi AIIMS
NEW DELHI: An air ambulance was rushed to Goa on Saturday to bring ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here.
Doctors at the AIIMS are examining him. They refused to comment except to point out that Parrikar has been put on detailed diagnosis regime and they can comment only after they get the reports.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the team of the AIIMS doctors attending on Parrikar, BJP sources said, pointing out that Modi has asked the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to keep him updated on his treatment and any requirements after talking to the doctors.
The sources said it was at the instance of PM Modi that a special aircraft fitted with ambulance facilities was arranged by the PMO to bring Parrikar to Delhi after talking to the BJP leaders in Goa. Parrikar being a former defence minister, the specialists from the Army Hospital (Research & Referral) in Delhi cantonment were also called to AIIMS for consultations.
