Team Herald
MARGAO: Claiming that he had been portrayed a ‘villain’ at the United Tribal Associations Alliance (UTAA) event at Farmagudi, Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar on Tuesday, termed these attacks as ‘unfair’ and efforts to ‘tarnish’ his image and threatened to resign if ministers or even the Chief Minister fail to show the necessary respect to the Speaker’s post.
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In a statement, Tawadkar said, “If the ministers showing no respect to the Speaker’s post, continue to do so or if the head of State or even the party supports such an attitude, I will have no option but to resign from the post.”
He emphasised the importance of mutual respect, noting that while he works to maintain the dignity of the Speaker’s office, it is equally important for the ministers and Chief Minister to demonstrate respect for the role.
Claiming that he was not involved with the UTAA since 2012, Tawadkar rejected claims linking him to the group, stating, “I had discarded myself from the UTAA when I found that my thoughts did not align with theirs. I made it clear that I want to work for the betterment of my community in my own way and have nothing to do with their activities.”
Tawadkar pointed out that the leaders who had attacked him at the UTAA event were misguided in their criticism as he questioned why several prominent tribal leaders, were absent from the UTAA programme and demanded accountability from those leaders for their past actions, especially when they held positions within tribal departments and commissions.
Without naming any individual, Tawadkar’s remarks appeared to be a veiled attack on Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude, implying that UTAA leaders had targeted him during their programme in the presence of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
