Team Herald
PANJIM: After categorically announcing that the MGP will fight both parliamentary seats and the three Assembly by-polls, former PWD Minister Ramkrishna (Sudin) Dhavalikar said the party will not contest the Lok Sabha polls and is undecided on contesting the by-polls in Mandrem and Mapusa.
Dhavalikar, who was unceremoniously dropped from the Pramod Sawant Cabinet last week, said that MGP had never declared it would contest the Lok Sabha elections.
“The MGP Central Committee had just indicated that Sudin Dhavalikar would contest from South Goa while Naresh Sawal would contest from North. However we both (Sudin and Naresh) felt that with so little time left for campaigning it would not be right to throw the hat in the ring,” Dhavalikar said addressing media persons.
Dhavalikar said that though the party will not contest the LS polls it will decide on whom to support after April 8. “MGP has a base of 13.5 per cent votes which is over 1.5 lakh votes in Goa,” he said.
He stated that while the party has decided on the Shiroda seat, it is still discussing on Mandrem and Mapusa. “Shiroda we have built a base since 2017 and it would not be possible to withdraw from there and we are winning hands down,” he said.
On Mapusa and Mandrem, he said, “The decision on Mandrem will come by tonight as about two months ago our former general secretary and other office-bearers had extended support to Independent candidate Jit Arolkar, and in Mapusa we have given full powers to our block president Vinod Phadke to decide whether to contest or back a suitable candidate.”
On MGP still continuing its support to the BJP-led
government, Dhavalikar said, “As of today we are with the government and will decide on withdrawing support only after April 8. I had given whole-hearted support to the government but unfortunately the BJP did not trust us.”
On BJP State president Vinay Tendulkar’s statement that he, Sudin, had promised to merge MGP in BJP by March 23, he said, “It is all rubbish and baseless. MGP is the oldest regional party built by Bhausaheb Bandodkar and is a party of workers not just one man.”
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BJP MPs failed to solve mining issue: Sudin
Former PWD Minister Ramkrishna (Sudin) Dhavalikar slammed the BJP for being unable to solve the mining issue despite being in power in State and at the Centre.
“Union Minister Piyush Goyal had blasted now Power Minister Nilesh Cabral and also threatened to put him behind bars for taking the side of mining dependents,” Dhavalikar alleged.
He said that the three BJP Members of Parliament – Narendra Sawaikar, Shripad Naik and Vinay Tendulkar – never opened their mouths before their central leaders.
“The three failed to take up issues of Goans with the Centre. It was only me or Puti Gaonkar who would take up the issue with Central leaders,” he said, adding, “However, during the meeting with PM, I was admitted in Hyderabad and could not attend and there was none to talk strongly.”
Asked whether the mining issue would impact the polls, he said, “Just wait and watch. People have observed whatever is happening in the last two years.”
