PANAJI
Former deputy Chief Minister Sudin Dhavalikar, who was expecting to play the role of a kingmaker in government formation efforts soon after exit polls, is now resorting to "monkey tricks" to come back to power, according to BJP MLA from Panaji Atanasio Monserrate.
On a day when the State's new batch of newly-elected MLAs trooped into the State assembly for administration of oath by pro-tem Speaker Ganesh Gaonkar, the opposition within the BJP to opening of gates of power to Dhavalikar and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party spilled out in the open, with Monserrate also daring Dhavalikar to merge his "dying" regional party into the BJP.
"You do not come here, showing that you are supporting our government, reap benefits of our government and then afterwards start your monkey tricks at the end of the term. It has happened. I don't want history to repeat itself. If you want to be part of the government, come and merge yourself now, otherwise also your party is dying," Monserrate told reporters, when asked about the rift among BJP MLAs over accepting the MGP's support to a BJP ruling dispensation.
The BJP has 20 MLAs in the 40-member State legislative assembly, with just one short of a simple majority. The party however received letters of unconditional support by three independent MLAs and the two-member Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party.
The MGP's alliance with the Trinamool Congress came a cropper, with the latter not managing to win a single seat, while the MGP's legislative tally compared to the 2017 polls dropped by one seat to two.
Monserrate also said that if Dhavalikar really wanted to strengthen the government, he should merge the MGP into the BJP, because both parties competed for the same voter base, while adding that the BJP really did not need the MGP's support in the present number game, where the BJP just needs the support of one MLA to come into numerical majority and three independent MLAs have already pledged their support to the ruling BJP.
"I do not think there is need to take in anyone. I think we are strong enough. You should not get in someone who will damage the party. His vote bank and BJP's vote bank is equally the same. So why simply you are encouraging someone else's growth?" Monserrate said.
"If he is ready to merge his party with ours then it is fine. Then you accept him. Let him be one of us. If he wants to really strengthen the government, come and merge yourself. Show your intentions are clear," the BJP MLA added.
Another BJP MLA, former chief minister Ravi Naik, who has a running political feud with the MGP in the Ponda sub district, also chided Dhavalikar, sarcastically hinting that the MGP had unleashed its lion (party's symbol) out in the open during the polls and was now forced to usher it back into its cage.
"He (Sudin) had brought it (lion) out during elections, now he has put it back inside," he said.
Dhavalikar however made light of the opposition against him in the BJP camp, saying local BJP leaders were small fry and that he had been urged to support the BJP by top leaders of the saffron party including its national president JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP's Goa election in-charge Devendra Fadnavis.
"Fadnavis, Amit Shah called me and our BJP president Nadda also called me. I placed the issue before the executive committee of MGP. At around 4 pm, there was a meeting and it was decided to give unconditional support to the BJP," Dhavalikar told reporters at the state assembly complex.
Interestingly, days before counting of votes, Dhavalikar had said that he would not support a BJP-led dispensation with Pramod Sawant as the Chief Minister. Sawant is currently a caretaker Chief Minister with the BJP delaying finalisation of its chief ministerial nominee so far.
When asked to comment on the opposition in the BJP camp to sharing the loaves of power with the MGP, Dhavalikar said: "I do not care. I have spoken at a higher level. I do not care about anyone who speaks here. I have nothing to do with them".
