MAPUSA
Challenging Ports Minister Michael Lobo to win the Siolim seat in the forthcoming assembly polls, President of BJP Goa Yuva Morcha Samir Mandrekar on Friday said that no outsider has ever won from the constituency and he would ensure that Lobo would never succeed in his plans.
Mandrekar also said that the Calangute MLA may have made up his mind not to remain with the BJP and therefore continues to interfere in other constituencies.
He said he was banking on the robust party organisation to help the party win the Siolim seat in the 2022 assembly election.
“There is a party discipline. Our party has told him (Lobo) to look after his constituency in Calangute and not to interfere in other constituencies. Despite the instruction he continues working in our (Siolim) constituency. Looks like he does not want to remain in the BJP,” Mandrekar said, launching a broadside against the minister of his own government.
Son of former minister and ex-Siolim MLA Dayanand Mandrekar, Samir Mandrekar along with party workers and supporters was addressing a news conference at their Oxel residence in Siolim.
A war of words ensued between Ports Minister Michael Lobo and former minister Dayanand Mandrekar, on Thursday, over inauguration of harvester machines in Siolim constituency.
Speaking further, Mandrekar informed that he and his father have been working for the last three months to arrange the harvester machines for farmers in their constituency.
He alleged that Lobo and his supporters threatened some people and tried their best to sabotage the inauguration of the harvester machines.
He further said that the Calangute MLA was moving in the constituency promising jobs and making a host of promises to the voters of Siolim.
“We are not worried. We are banking on our party organization and the work we have been doing for the last several years. In the Zilla Panchayat election too he (Lobo) did everything to defeat our candidates but finally both our candidates emerged victorious,” Mandrekar said.
Pritesh Chodankar, a staunch supporter of the Mandrekars, slammed the ports minister for making irresponsible statements against the former minister.
“Our ex-minister has not forcefully taken the harvester machines. We had planned the activity sometime back,” Chodankar said and alleged that Lobo was making unsubstantiated statements out of frustration.
