Team Herald 

MARGAO: While asserting that the people of Goa will give a befitting lesson to the defectors in Goa when the time comes, Goa Forward Party President Vijai Sardessai asserted that his party will very soon come out with a plan to address the three main concerns of Goa.

With reference to defections he opined that Maharashtra shows that defectors need to necessarily get elected. “Only 6 of the 14 NCP leaders who quit their party to join the BJP while only 6 of the 10 who quit the Congress to hug the BJP could be successful,” he said.

Crediting Sharad Pawar for turning the tables for those who quit his party and by going to the people to extent of even canvassing in pouring rainfall in Satara, Vijai said Pawar was a leader who went to the people and stirred their emotions against the defectors.

Unfortunately, he said that in Goa he does not see any Sharad Pawar amongst the Congress Party and quipped whether there was actual defection in Goa or whether those MLAs were just sent to the BJP remains a question that is unanswered till date.

He said Sudin Dhavalikar’s question of why the Congress despite having five MLAs could not find anybody to file an anti-defection case against the MLAs who quit the party to join the BJP is an important question that the Congress has to answer.

“If the Congress is not convinced about the need to teach a lesson to the people who have spoilt its name then nothing will happen in Goa,” he said while pointing out that despite being the youngest political outfit in the State his party is the only one that has not experienced any split till date.

While pointing out that it is not his party’s mission to seek revenge against the defectors, he said, “His party will very soon come out with plan to address the three main issues concerning Goa at the moment.”

He said divergence of water from Mhadei River, resumption of mining and availability of money for government are the three main issues troubling Goa at the moment and added very shortly Goa Forward Party will come out with a plan to address these three.

“As we had said earlier, we shall not hesitate to even approach the Green Tribunal over the Mhadei issue,” he said while asserting that Goa Forward Party has always honoured whatever promise it has made to the people of Goa.

While pointing out that Goan populace ranks high in socio political matters, he said, “The people will give a befitting reply to defections at the right time which is about two years away when the next general elections will be held.”

While saying that not only the defectors but even those who welcomed the defection will be taught a befitting lesson, he said, “What happened in Haryana where the BJP had to clearly say no to a defector did not happen in Goa is an issue to be considered.”