PANJIM: Confident that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will find a solution to the current mining crisis, Goa Forward Party (GFP), a constituent of the BJP-led coalition government, on Friday said it will support the saffron party in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
“We will be part of NDA for the Lok Sabha elections. Neither me, nor anyone from my party are candidates for the Lok Sabha,” GFP President and TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai told media persons.
“We are not interfering in CM’s work as far as mining issue is concerned. He is taking everyone’s view to work out a solution. There is no question of resumption of mining activities now in the monsoon. So there is time,” he said.
His statement comes almost a month after he threatened not to support the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections if it fails to resolve the mining crisis. “We won’t support the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections if they fail to resolve the mining crisis,” he had said.
Expanding its base, GFP on Friday welcomed social worker and former Independent candidate from Ponda, Rajesh Verekar, and his supporters into the party. Present were Housing Minister Jayesh Salgaonkar and WRD Minister Vindo Palyekar.
Sardesai said the move is to expand the party. “We are not here to disturb anyone. We just want to expand our party,” he said.
Verekar said that he was attracted by Sardesai’s leadership. “I am not here for the ticket but to work and expand the party,” he said. Verekar had recently extended his support to the MGP-backed panel in the Ponda Municipal Council.
Responding to a question on whether the State should call for independent probe into the recent ketamine seizure, Sardesai, ruling it out said that a simultaneous probe may lead to confusion and inconclusive results. “The raid is conducted by Revenue intelligence and it was part of a pan India investigation. We should be happy that we are not shielding anyone,” he said.
