There are no permanent friends or foes in politics and inthis case, even if you have a common godfather. In a strange turn of events, VascoMLA Carlos Almeida and Mormugao MLA and Power minister Milind Naik don’t seemto see each other in the eye. The ongoing battle between Power Minister MilindNaik and his colleague Carlos Almeida in the BJP is no longer a secret inMormugao’s power circles.
It is understood that noted industrialist and philanthropistNana Bandekar, who is instrumental in propping up both these leaders, keeps asafe distance from their internal feud.
The tussle between the two has tongues wagging, even aspolitical analysts attribute it to their egos. “The sudden taste of power hasgone into their heads and has manifested into a personal rift between the two,”say observers.
The rift was wide open and visible within a month after the formationof the government, when Almeida along with Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) hadhosted the six day annual Baina beach festival.
The power minister was invited, as chief guest for the inaugurationwhich he deliberately avoided, after Mormugao BJP block, comprising of MMCchairperson Sarika Palkar along with a close supporter of Naik adopted aresolution to boycott the festival.
During the same time, Naik skipped a function for the secondtime when Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was present for the inauguration of theBaina beach beautification project. Parrikar tried to wriggle out of thesituation by saying that Naik was pre-occupied in an urgent work and thereforecouldn’t make it to the function.
Almeida’s move to beautify Baina beach is seen as hisinterference in Mormugao constituency. This has irked some of the supporters ofNaik.
The bad blood among the two leaders was very obvious when firstAlmeida called a meeting for the annual Damodar Saptah. Soon after, Naikfollowed with a separate meeting on the festival.
“There are no differences amongst us; however, I want clarifythat Baina beach belongs to all Vascoites. I use to visit the beach and the islandssince I was a kid. I owe it to the beach and it’s my responsibility to takepart in beach development,” said Carlos Almeida.
He further said that it was not him but the MormugaoMunicipal Council which was developing the beach. “Thus question of meinterfering in Naik’s constituency does not arise,” Almeida said.
“I couldn’t attend the Baina beach festival because it wasduring the same time that I had taken charge of my ministry. I had conveyed myinability to attend the function to the organizers in advance, said Power Minister Milind Naik.
“We might have different points of view on certain issues.But that doesn’t mean we are divided,” Naik added.
The feud between the duo dates back to the days when in thelast Mormugao Municipal Council, Almeida lodged a complaint against Naik fornot vacating his post as a councillor despite getting elected as an MLA. Naikstill nurses the wound.
Hopefully Godfather Nana’s healing touch will heal the wound.
