PANJIM: Indirectly maintaining that alliance partner MGP’s continuous threat has led to disunity in the Manohar Parrikar-led coalition government, Goa Forward Party (GFP) chief and TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai on Wednesday said that “if the disunity is not treated then it can lead to the collapse of the government”.
Addressing media persons, Sardesai said that with Plan A, which is the alliance government under Parrikar, being under threat, Plan B is something he is looking at to provide a “stable” government.
“There are some political developments taking shape in a direction as if the government is not stable as the allies are fighting one another. It is very simple and clear that in politics there is no concept called friendly fight,” the Minister said, referring to MGP announcing it would field candidates for the Shiroda and Mandrem by-elections, where BJP already has its candidate.
“When allies are fighting one another, there is a clear signal to the people that the government is not speaking in one voice, that we are not united and there is disunity,” he said.
“If this disunity is not treated or checked, then there could be an imminent fall of the government that the people have been predicting,” Sardesai said, adding, “We don’t want people to predict this (collapse). We don’t want instability.”
The GFP chief said he has kept Plan B ready to sustain the government as Plan A is under threat. “Our Plan A was to form the government under the leadership of Manohar Parrikar. If that is being threatened due to action of the alliance partners then there is Plan B,” he said, adding that whichever alliance is contesting against the official candidate for by-polls is “threatening the government.”
Refusing to elaborate on Plan B, Sardesai said it would be implemented keeping in mind the ideologies of the current government. “Plan B can be anything but it will be to give stability to Goa. People of Goa who elected us want a stable government and for that we had formed a government. We will be moving with same ideology for Plan B,” he said.
Asked whether he is hinting at a possible move of joining hands with the Congress, Sardesai said “I am not saying that.”
Sardesai questioned MGP’s decision to contest the by-polls saying, “How can MGP run with the hare and hunt with the hounds? You can’t be doing both. If you are with the government then you have to be with the government,” he said.
The minister said that Parrikar himself was in dark about the logic behind the stand taken by MGP to contest the by-polls. “Tomorrow if CM has to take a press conference and justify the split in the alliance or non-unity in government, I think even he will have no answer,” Sardesai said. “It is time that people who lead the State should have answers to questions put up by the people,” Sardesai added.
