TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Even as the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) announced it will review its alliance with Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) for the 2017 assembly elections, the regional party has maintained it will fight the State polls jointly. MGP also said it will put up a proposal to jointly contest the Zilla Panchayat elections slated next month.
On the sidelines of MGP’s membership drive at Merces on Sunday, Transport Minister Ramkrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar said their alliance with BJP will continue for 10 years.
“The alliance is going strong. People had elected BJP-MGP government in the 2012 assembly elections and it will continue. We had given a commitment to remain allies for 10 years,” Dhavalikar said.
Interestingly, while he rubbished rumours of a break up between the two parties, the minister vouched to raise MGP seats in the Goa Legislative Assembly from the present three to 21 in the near future.
His statement comes nearly 10 days after Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar announced reviewing BJP ties during the 2017 assembly elections. “For now, we are together till 2017,” he was quoted as saying, minutes before addressing BJP Karyakarta Convention in the capital.
MGP is also keen to tie up with BJP for the ZP elections next month. The MGP minister said they will place a proposal before the BJP in the coming week, which if the saffron party rejects; they are ready to go alone.
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Says Laadli , Griha Aadhar will
not be denied if loyalties switched
PANJIM: Without pointing fingers at any political party, the MGP has asked the people not to succumb to threats from ‘certain sections of party workers’ about discontinuing BJP’s pet schemes Laadli Laxmi and Griha Aadhar if they switched over their loyalty to the regional party. At its membership drive at Merces on Sunday, MGP’s Transport Minister Ramkrishna Dhavalikar and Ponda MLA Lavoo Mamledar assured the new entrants to the party that they won’t be denied the schemes. The MGP claims to have enrolled over 1,700 individuals with over 700 St Cruz residents registering their membership with the party in Merces on Sunday. A large number of people had gathered at the venue with some raising apprehensions they will be rejected the benefits of the Ladli Laxmi and Griha Aadhar schemes. “We are being threatened that if we join MGP, the government will stop Griha Aadhar scheme. Likewise, we won’t benefit Laadli Laxmi scheme also,” one individual said.
It is learnt that some workers from BJP and Congress have quit their membership with their current party and joined MGP. While MGP minister Pandurang ‘Deepak’ Dhavalikar was not seen at the function, other leaders like Central Committee member Ratnakar Mardolkar and MGP Block President (St Cruz) Prakash Naik were present.
