MAPUSA
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and State BJP President Sadanand Tanavade convened a meeting with former MLAs and senior leaders in an attempt to calm the agitated BJP cadre from Saligao and Siolim constituencies after the entry of eight Congress MLAs into the BJP.
Two separate meetings of karyakartas of Saligao and Siolim were held in the North Goa BJP District office late Friday evening.
The CM and the party chief explained to the leaders that the directive to induct the eight MLAs came from the central leaders and they had no choice but to go by the instructions of the high command.
Former Saligao MLA & BJP Vice President Dilip Parulekar and BJP’s candidate in the assembly election from Saligao Jayesh Salgaonkar along with their karyakartas were present for the meeting.
Likewise, BJP vice president & party candidate from Siolim Dayanand Mandrekar along with his karyakartas were also present.
Sources informed that the leaders and karyakartas expressed their reservations about the party's decision of taking the Congress MLAs and their workers into the BJP.
They said the original karyakartas are hurt and feel threatened that they will be sidelined by the party with the advent of the new MLAs.
“We have expressed our feelings to the CM and the party president. Some karyakartas also expressed their resentment over the recent development. We have also taken a commitment from the leadership that our workers should not be ignored,” Dayanand Mandrekar said.
