PANJIM: In what appears to be a move to galvanise support for the DefExpo 2016, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday admitted Quepem constituency senior leader and UTAA (United Tribals Associations Alliance) chief Prakash Velip into the party as senior vice president.
Velip was earlier with the BJP’s coalition partner MGP until the ZP elections, last year. Velip, has a stronghold of the tribal community in Quepem, Canacona and Sanguem and had been inducted to dilute the opposition to the DefExpo, scheduled to be held at Quitol in Quepem Constituency.
He was inducted into the BJP by party president Vinay Tendulkar in the presence of South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar.
“BJP is with the State government in their decision to allow DefExpo 2016 in Goa. Only few political people are opposing the event for mileage. Otherwise there is no opposition from the locals,” Tendulkar told Herald.
He said BJP is now channelising its workers in Quepem to stand with the locals who are in favour of holding the event. “Our workers will be there to extend their support to the locals and the government,” Tendulkar added.
“When Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar visited the site at Betul village, the party workers had gathered in large numbers. Workers are from the constituency where the event is planned,” he pointed out.
BJP has decided to distribute pamphlets highlighting various development works and promises fulfilled by the party in the last four years. BJP led coalition government will complete four years on March 9.
