Congress turncoat Aleixo facing scrutiny in BJP over performance despite being CM’s ‘go-to man’ in dealing with many key issues
Friends and well-wishers congratulate Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira for the successful organisation of the Exposition of the Relics of St Francis Xavier at Old Goa.
Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
It was Wednesday evening. Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira had just landed at the Guwahati airport in Assam. The reason: Drafted by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Sequeira is scheduled to attend a Ministerial conference in the North Eastern state over the next two days.
Back home, State BJP Chief, MP Sadanand Shet Tanavade’s reported outbursts against Sequeira have triggered speculations in BJP circles and outside, only raising questions about whether Salcete's lone Minister will face the axe from Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's Cabinet.
The heavyweight politician, who had defected from the Congress along with seven other MLAs on September 14, 2022, to join the BJP, however, seemed to be totally banking on Chief Minister Sawant in his bid to play a long innings in the BJP government, while admitting that concerted moves are underway to seek his ouster from the Cabinet.
Close aides of the Nuvem MLA privately say that the Chief Minister is backing the Environment Minister to the hilt, notwithstanding voices emanating in the organisation against the Minister.
This is perhaps the third time in the last 13 and a half months that Sequeira’s continuance in the Sawant Cabinet has come under scrutiny.
First, Sequeira’s induction into the Pramod Sawant government in mid-November 2023 was a subject of debate in BJP circles post-2024 Lok Sabha elections following the party’s miserable performance in Nuvem. In fact, BJP’s Pallavi Dempo had ended up polling just 2,677 votes against Congress’ 16,365 votes, giving Captain Viriato Fernandes an unassailable 13,688 vote lead in Nuvem.
BJP’s poor performance in Nuvem and the surrounding areas of Curtorim and Benaulim had only raised questions within the BJP set-up about whether it was wise to induct Sequeira into the government in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls.
The second time when reports circulated that Sequeira might be told to step down from office was over a month ago when speculations were rife that Sequeira and Fisheries Minister Nilkanth Harlankar would make way for Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar and Digambar Kamat to join the Cabinet.
Call him a key emissary or otherwise, Sequeira came in handy for Chief Minister Sawant to draft him on behalf of the government to handle issues both in Salcete and outside, including the just-concluded Exposition of the Relics of St Francis Xavier.
As Saxtti's lone Minister, the Chief Minister had handpicked Sequeira and tasked him with cleaning up the Cutbona fishing jetty when the State’s biggest fishing hub was hit by an outbreak of cholera. That the CM handpicked Sequeira to bring about a turnaround at the fishing jetty, sources say, shows the Chief Minister’s confidence in him.
Sequeira was drafted again by the Chief Minister to bring about coordination amongst the agencies and the religious authorities, and to execute the government’s commitments on time during the month-long Exposition at Old Goa.
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'Concerted efforts to oust me from Cabinet'
Saxtti lone Minister Aleixo Sequeira on Wednesday said concerted efforts are being made by certain people who would like to see him dropped as a Minister from the BJP government headed by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
The political heavyweight has declined to comment on the purported remarks made by BJP State President, MP Sadanand Shet Tanavade, that he should have done membership in Nuvem constituency as a Minister in the BJP government. “I had met Tanavade in Panaji on Monday during the visit of BJP National General Secretary Arun Singh. But he did not tell me anything about the membership. I want to first know what he had said before giving a comment,” Sequeira told 'The Goan'.
He added: "There are certain people who would like to see me dropped as a Minister. It is a concerted effort on their part. Why do I say this? Because people like Mickky Pacheco and Pratima Coutinho have been claiming that I, as Law Minister, have directed the filing of cases against them.”
Clarifying that a Law Minister has no role to play whatsoever in the filing of police cases, Sequeira said that the filing of criminal cases, which comes under the jurisdiction of the police, is done only by the prosecution, which is headed by the Director of Prosecutions and forms part of the Home department.
“As such, I believe it is a concerted effort on their part to tell people that I have filed these cases. I am sure that they also know that it is false. I have to submit that I have not in any way got myself involved in the filing of the cases,” he asserted.
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Velingkar protests: Aleixo says police refused mediation offer
Law Minister Aleixo Sequeira, who represents Nuvem constituency in the Goa Legislative Assembly, has said that he had tried to intervene in the middle of the night when people had hit the streets to protest against Subhash Velingkar, but the police point-blank told them they were not interested in meeting him to resolve the issue amicably.
“When the agitation was taking place in the middle of the night, I had asked the police whether, if I had to come to the Collectorate, we could have a dialogue and settle the issue nicely. But the police told me that they were not interested in meeting me,” Sequeira said.
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Aleixo credits CM’s 'unstinted' support for Exposition success
Accepting compliments from friends and well-wishers over the role played by him in the organisation of the Exposition of the Relics of St Francis Xavier, Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira thanked Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for giving him a free hand to do whatever was required for the organisation of the event.
“I have to admit that had it not been for the Chief Minister and his unstinted support, things would have been difficult, because, at the end of the day, the CM had to approve the proposals,” he said.
He added: “I have told so many people who complimented the government for the arrangements for the exposition. It was basically a team spirit, be it the Church, government authorities, including Commissioner Sandeep Jacques. We all decided that we had to deliver the Chief Minister’s commitments. At the first meeting convened by CM Sawant, he only listened but made certain commitments, and it was then our responsibility to deliver on his commitments.”
