TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: St Cruz MLA Atannasio (Babush) Monserrate threw up another surprise on Monday when he said he would not contest the Panjim by-election.
Saying that he will remain neutral, he predicted an easy victory for the BJP in Panjim. The Taleigao strongman said that Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has just to endorse even a sweeper from the municipality for him to win. Monserrate also cited the lack of time in the present term as an explanation for reconsidering on his decision to contest.
“BJP is through… Tell Parrikar to take a sweeper from the municipality and say he is his candidate. And he will win; It is a one-sided contest,” Monserrate told Herald.
Monserrate also said he would stay neutral in the by-election and not support the official Congress candidate, accusing him of plotting over various elections to destroy the chances of various Congress candidates.
“I will definitely not support Surendra Furtado. He is not my man. …I fail to understand this high command position. Last time they gave it (the ticket) to Yatin (Yatin Parikh, CCP corporator) thinking that he is the mayor and he will win. Now they gave it to Surendra because he is the mayor. But they should understand how he became mayor,” Monserrate said.
Explaining why he is choosing to remain ‘neutral’ Monserrate said, “Surendra Furtado is the first person to say yes, I am there, to contest against me. So my support base will not be with Surendra. Let him contest.”
He also accused Furtado of contesting twice “just to see that the Congress will lose”. Monserrate alleged, “He bragged in my house saying, ‘What you think, that Parrikar got a 6000 lead just like that’ (in the 2012 elections). He said, ‘I called all the priests and all to my house along with Parrikar and I settled it’. I am ready to swear and tell him to swear… Tell him to deny it in front of me.”
Stating that though Furtado is the Congress candidate, he did not have his (Monserrate’s) support, and accused him of destroying “the Congress thinking that one day he will get the Congress ticket”.
On the question of why he backed off, he said that he did not want to disappoint the people of Panjim as there was very little time for any development.
“I think that I would have disappointed the people of Panjim Two years is very short time. Not even two, one and a half year. We have to deliver. People would have voted for us because of development. And because we are development oriented,” he said.
He added, “I basically do not want to be a failure and a disappointment to the people of Panjim… I require a longer innings. But I assure you I will be there next time.”
