PANJIM: Congress Dabolim MLA Mauvin Godinho on Friday finally resigned from the party and as MLA and joined the ruling BJP – the very party that had accused him of a power scam, and has a case against him still pending in the Supreme Court.
Godinho, a former Power Minister, submitted his resignation to Speaker Anant Shet, who accepted it, before formally joining BJP in the presence of Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar. Godinho is likely to contest from Dabolim constituency on a BJP ticket.
“Induction of Godinho was not a compulsion for the party. He is a leader of the masses and BJP always supports such people,” Parsekar said as the former MLA joined the party. “Godinho joining BJP has given the party a boost,” he added.
After joining BJP, Godinho said, “Before joining BJP I felt suffocated with Congress because they never allowed me to have my own will and Congress leaders always put me on the back foot. I had also challenged Congress to sack me or throw me out, as I was talking against the party, but they did not have the guts,” Godinho said after joining BJP.
“There is no alternative then to get the BJP government back to power in the coming elections,” he stated.
Asked why he had not contested on a BJP ticket in 2012, Godinho said he was made the Congress election chief at that time and hence had to be with the party. “There were media reports that Godinho will be elevated if voted to power. Following this, I was removed as chief and by then, the withdrawal date was over,” he said.
Referring to the power scam he said, “Out of five cases, I was acquitted in four cases before framing charges. One case is pending before SC and I hope to come clean.”
He charged Congress President Luizinho Faleiro, Leader of Opposition Pratapsingh Rane for backstabbing him and submitting documents against him in the power matter to Parrikar instigating him to file a complaint. “Even if I was in Parrikar’s place at that time, I too would have done the same thing,” he said.
Reacting to Godinho’s resignation, Congress General Secretary Sunil Kawthankar said, “I think Manohar Parrikar is the right person to comment on Mauvin’s induction in the BJP. He was the one who called Mauvin the most corrupt and filed a case of power theft against him. Now, for political gains Parrikar and BJP have compromised on morals and ethics. It is a shame for the party.”
On Godinho’s allegations of Congress being corrupt, Kawthankar admitted that the party was corrupt since it had leaders like Godinho which the party is getting rid of.
WHAT MAUVIN SAID
n I always felt suffocated with Congress
n BJP as a party always appealed to me
n BJP gave a stable government…my love for BJP started increasing
n Congress brought in all kind of scams
n You cannot expect BJP to do miracles in five years
POLITICAL PROFILE
n First elected as MLA in 1989 from Cortalim on Congress ticket
n Broke away from Congress to form Goan People’s Party
n Re-joined Congress and re-elected in 1994, and in 2007
n In 2012 shifted to Dabolim
n Has been Cabinet Minister
n Was deputy speaker from 2007-12
