PANJIM: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary (organizing) Satish Dhond has been shunted from Goa and given the responsibility of Thane and the Konkan region. Confirming the transfer, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said it is a routine exercise.
Known as the Amit Shah of Goa because of his clout in the party and administration, Dhond had fallen foul of may BJP heavyweights and MLa’s, including of late, the Chief Minister himself
Mr Parsekar, obviously sought to downplay the move. “ The party has given him other responsibilities in other regions. It is not called removal but it is a transfer. He has not been transferred for the first time but in past too he was transferred,” Parsekar told reporters on Saturday. Parsekar said Dhond’s transfer won’t damage the party in any way.
Dhond’s transfer from Goa comes in the wake of
increasing complaints from MLAs and party leaders to the central leadership. The complaints increased after the party candidate was defeated in Bicholim in the Zilla Panchayat polls and it was alleged that the loss was due to Dhond’s interference.
A strong group of party stalwarts, including Parsekar, South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar, Party President Vinay Tendulkar, general secretary Sadanand Tanawade and other office bearers were against Dhond’s style of functioning.
Tendulkar, speaking to Herald has not ruled out the possibility of complaints from the State leaders to the central leadership in Delhi. “In Goa there were no complaints we received against him, but at centre there may have been. But along with him five other organizing secretaries have been transferred by the party,” Tendulkar said.
Asked whether he was satisfied with Dhond’s working style, Tendulkar said, “It doesn’t matter, after all we all are working for the party.”
Sources close to the chief minister said that the CM had curtailed Dhond’s interference in the State administration and stopped him working in Bicholim constituency after facing the heat in the last ZP polls.
Meanwhile, a delegation led Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha President Samir Mandrekar, supported by some block presidents, submitted a memorandum to the party president on Saturday opposing Dhond’s transfer.
Later Saturday evening, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar met ministers, MLAs and party workers in his office at Patto, Panjim in view of the developments.
Though Parrikar denied that meeting discussed Dhond’s transfer, sources confirmed that Parrikar heard everybody.
Tourism minister Dilip Parulekar said Dhond was a local and aware of the happenings in Goa. His presence would have benefitted the party, Parulekar said adding that a new comer will take time to understand Goa.
Besides Parulekar the meeting was attended by MLAs Dayanand Mandrekar, Pramod Sawant, Michael Lobo, Kiran Kandolkar, Subhash Faldesai, Siddharth Kunkolienkar, Anant Shet, Rajan Naik and other block level party workers, including Samir Mandrekar.
