the goan I network
PANAJI
The Bharatiya Janata Party has apparently made quelling the rebellion and dissensions of its ‘old guard’ and senior leaders, particularly ex-CM Laxmikant Parsekar, a priority while pushing to the back-burner the task of finding solutions to the threat to stability of its coalition government in Goa posed by the ill-health of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
BJP’s National General Secretary and Goa in-charge B L Santosh, who on Monday held several meetings at the party headquarters on its organisational preparedness for the Lok Sabha polls, took time out to hold a one-to-one discussion with Parsekar on Monday.
Sources said Santosh spent nearly half an hour to try and prevail upon Parsekar not to rebel against the party, of which the senior leader from Mandrem has dropped sufficient hints over the past several weeks.
Parsekar is peeved with the party’s leadership in the State for keeping him in the dark over the admission of Dayanand Sopte into the party and the likelihood of nominating him for the by-elections to the Mandrem seat.
The former chief minister has also held several meetings of party workers, including corner meetings, in the constituency. A pamphlet with his photograph listing out priorities of physical and community development works is also being circulated in the constituency.
Santosh is also expected to hold discussions with leaders like Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo, who has been making statements in the media critical of the party and its
government in Goa.
Meanwhile, despite reports of Parrikar’s ill-health and its adverse effect on the stability of the coalition government it leads in Goa, Santosh showed no signs of addressing this challenge posed to the party.
While the national leader did not speak to the media at all, a galaxy of local leaders, including BJP state unit president, Vinay Tendulkar and Union AYUSH Minister, Shripad Naik, dismissed media reports that Santosh was in Goa to take stock of the political situation in the wake of deterioration of Parrikar’s health.
Both Tendulkar and Naik claimed Parrikar was stable and there’s nothing to worry immediately. More than the threat to the stability of the government, Santosh engaged in fire-fighting the dissidence and quelling the possible rebellion of hurt leaders.
