MORMUGAO: Fissures have erupted within the BJP in Mormugao, which is a 100% saffron taluka electorally. The murmur has gone louder and now open war of word amongst its MLAs is witnessed.
Over the past few months the differences of opinion has been observed between the Dabolim, Vasco and Mormugao MLAs on various issues in various occasions. The supporters of each MLA have been witnessed taking potshots on their own BJP fellow legislators. Given the extent, some even feel that party higher-ups should now intervene to bridge the widening gap between its MLAs before it’s too late.
When Panchayat minister and Dabolim BJP MLA Mauvin Godinho was asked he said , “It is well known that the unity is the need of the hour for achieving anything. In the best interest of the party everyone should be united. But in democracy you have differences manifesting in various ways, these differences actually may be minor in nature but sometimes it looks major. As far as I am concerned I feel in the interest of the party everyone has to close ranks if the party is going to perform well in the future”.
He further said that the party heads should intervene and rein in people who are actually responsible for the differences. When corrective steps are not been taken in the situation pointed out by different MLAs, such things are bound to happen.
Making a clear reference to party colleague Urban Development Minister and Mormugao MLA Milind Naik, Godinho said “Take the recent Supreme Court decision. I feel because of one individual the party and the government should not get the blame and a bad name”.
Later,Vasco BJP MLA Carlos Almeida said that the individual differences among MLAs is not going to affect BJP party in Mormugao taluka. He said that the party senior members like Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Tendulkar had recently made a statement to clear the differences and he is working on it.
Alemida also said that he has not made any statement against the BJP party or the party-backed candidates who would be contesting municipal polls and in fact ‘I want all BJP-backed candidates to be victorious in civic polls to have stability in the council.’
When asked whether these differences will affect Port town’s development, Almeida denied and said that Milind Naik is an individual and he is not whole BJP party. There are higher ups such as Chief Minister who will look after the development.
When Milind Naik Urban Development minister to get his reaction, he clearly said that he has not given any statement against any BJP MLA nor against BJP party.
When further pressed about his rivalry with the BJP MLAs and them making statement against him, he said, “If there was any rivalry from my side then I could have easily given statements against those MLAs which I did not do. The very reason for not doing so is that ultimately we are from BJP and we are united.”
Milind Naik passes buck on reservation fiasco to Director Municipal administration
“With regards to the civic poll reservation issue, the DMA has made the reservation not me. Now the civic poll ward reservation will happen as per the Supreme Court order. I have worked for party to grow and our party heads.The Chief minister knows about it,” said Naik.
BJP mandal president wants ‘senior leaders’ to intervene
When Deepak Naik, the BJP mandal head of the constituency was asked, he said, ‘BJP party senior leaders should intervene and should sort out issues among the MLAs and goodwill need to be created.’
“We as a party karyakarta work to build BJP strong and due to the fights between the BJP MLAs the karyakartas get sandwiched as they face grassroots level people who vote by keeping faith in the party” he said.
Sandeep Sood, Dabolim BJP mandal president opined that there won’t be any effect on BJP due to ‘some differences’ among MLAs. “We see differences in the family but then to sort it out there are higher-ups. We have our party president, who will look into the matter. We need not have to worry about it. We have to do our job to make party strong and the party leaders will do theirs. We have able leadership in the state as well as at the Centre so there won’t be any effect of small differences on development,” said Sood.
The BJP would surely hope that what appears to be tsunami of differences is actually a passing storm.
