Team Herald
MARGAO: Politicians from South Goa dismissed Shiv Sena’s claim of toppling the Goa government and replicating the Maharashtra model of government formation in Goa as a pipe dream and wishful thinking of “frustrated elements”.
NCP’s only MLA Churchill Alemao said only “frustrated politicians are speaking of changing the government in Goa” and that his party leaders have not said anything about a change of government in Goa to him.
“Sharad Pawar has not said anything about this to me,” he said adding that people who enjoyed being part of the government for two years are now feeling frustrated and said the present CM who belongs to the lower caste is doing well and will remain in saddle because of the wishes of the poor people.
Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant alias Babu Kavlekar said Shiv Sena has only succeeded in entertaining Goans tremendously and said even Shiv Sena members know that what Sanjay Raut said is not possible in Goa.
He said the Shiv Sena would do well to concentrate on matters concerning Maharashtra instead of misleading the people of Goa.
“All the 27 MLAs are firmly backing Dr Pramod Sawant in Goa and the Shiv Sena which does not even have a single MLA in Goa would do well to concentrate on the problems faced by the farmers in their State,” Kavlekar said.
Replying to a question he said there was no question of any of the 10 MLAs who left the Congress to join the BJP returning to the Congress. “It does not make sense to return to the same party that we had quit recently,” he said adding that their target now is to ensure that BJP wins from 30 of the 40 assembly constituencies at the next assembly elections.
Meanwhile, the three MLAs from Salcete who defected to the BJP from Congress also said there was no possibility of them returning to the Congress and dismissed claims of a change in government in Goa as only rumours.
Speaking to media persons Water Resources Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues in the presence of Clafacio Dias said that Wilfred D’Sa alias Babashan was also supposed to join them but was caught in a traffic jam while returning from Old Goa.
“Because we were confident of Dr Pamod Sawant’s leadership, it was our collective decision to support him and there is no change in that,” said Rodrigues adding that Goa cannot be “testing laboratory” for political dreams of some politicians.
Taking a dig at Vijai Sardessai, Clafacio wondered how the BJP government was good as long as he was a part of it and turned bad only after he was dropped as a minister. He expressed total confidence in Dr Pramod Sawant.
“These people (referring to Vijai) had blocked the development works in my Cuncolim constituency which has now started,” he said adding that Dr Sawant will remain the chief minister for the remaining term of the assembly.
Both said that the Maharashtra model of government will not work in Goa and that there was no demand for a change in leadership in Goa either. “We are too small to demand a change in leadership as BJP being a national party has its own system; how it chooses the leader following Manohar Parrikar’s death,” Rodrigues said.
