TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Firing a salvo against his party leaders, Dabolim legislator Mauvin Godinho said he is inclined to join BJP.
“People are asking me why am I joining BJP when the party is on the decline in the state. I told them that I joined Congress in 1979 when Indira Gandhi was ousted. I am not joining the party for power. I want to do something for Goa,” Godinho said.
Asked whether Dabolim will not be a MGP seat if BJP goes in alliance with the party, Godinho said, “Dabolim is my constituency. I have won here despite it having a majority Hindu population.”
The Congress MLA said the party does not dare expel him like they did Atanasio Monserrate.
“They don’t dare expel me. They say if they expel me I will be unattached member. They have done it to Babush Monserrate. What Babush has done during the Panjim by-poll I have done several times with Congress. I have overdone it,” Godinho confessed on HCN, Herald’s TV arm on Monday.
Godinho, who was supposed to head Congress’ election campaign in 2012 polls before being replaced by Pratapsingh Rane said, “I had then appealed to people not to burn their house (Congress) because of some rats. But now I feel the rodents have increased in number. The house (Congress) is smelling. There are enemies everywhere waiting with daggers. I will not go in Congress ever again. I have closed the possibility of joining back the Congress,” he said responding to a question.
The former deputy speaker alleged that he was kept out of the Digambar Kamat-led government because he would have opposed half the mess that was created by the then government. “Had I been in the cabinet, I would certainly not have allowed these wrong decisions. I would have saved Goa. I would have saved Congress,” he said.
Godinho blamed the Kamat-led government for the current problems from mining to narcotics. He said he has no faith in Congress Goa chief Luzinho Faleiro who is shedding “crocodile tears” over various issues.
“The real face of Faleiro is something different. He was instrumental in getting special economic zones in the state. He set the ball rolling for SEZs which was later followed by other governments,” he alleged.
Not being able to forget the accusation of power subsidy scam levelled against him in the 1990s, Godinho said Congress leaders were providing all the information to then leader of opposition Manohar Parrikar to file cases against him. “If not for those cases, today I would have been the most non-corrupt politician in Goa,” he said.
