PANJIM: Known for its U-turns on various issues, BJP, not surprisingly, has made two others and both involve statements by its two top leaders, leading to censure from the opposition.
First, State party President Vinay Tendulkar assured that BJP would not seek the support of non-BJP councillors to form the ruling groups in municipalities. Then Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said the new municipal chairpersons elected from the BJP panels would serve the entire five-year term. The party has gone back on both statements.
BJP is desperately trying to wrest power in eight municipalities despite winning in just six, and doing so by seeking the support of candidates either elected as Independents or with the support of local Congress leaders.
Tendulkar’s statement of October 25 changed immediately after the election results were declared on October 27 and the party started lobbying for numbers to head the councils at Cuncolim and Canacona. At both places local BJP leaders failed to get even three candidates elected, forcing the U-turn by the party boss.
On October 27 the chief minister at his official residence at Altinho told the media that for better development there will be just one chairperson for the entire five-year term. The following day, he said there wouldn’t be a notification issued on this and his colleague, Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza, said that a five-year tenure for a chairperson is wrong in democracy.
This clearly indicates that BJP is already feeling the strain of keeping its party members happy and control those who have got elected.
Congress termed this as lack of trust in the elected councillors. “Earlier Manohar Parrikar took a year or a few months to make U-turns. I think Parsekar is breaking his role model’s record by taking U-turns in just a day. This government is running in exactly the same manner as earlier. They are directionless and undecided. The government is taking decisions without application of mind even on crucial issues concerning the State. Differences of opinion between the chief minister and deputy chief minister are there on every key issue and there are visible differences within the council of ministers,” Congress General Secretary Sunil Kawthankar said.
NCP Goa unit Vice President Trajano D’Mello said the Deputy CM contradicting the CM on the chairperson’s term has not only brought to the fore the sharp rift between the two but also exposed instability among the elected BJP councillors.
“It is clear that their intentions are not to serve the people but to share the loot. D’Souza firmly displayed his distrust in the CM and defence minister who were neither invited nor permitted to campaign in Mapusa for the elections,” D’Mello said.
