MAPUSA
While Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s pre-poll outreach programme got a rousing reception at Canca in Siolim constituency, on Tuesday morning, he soon found himself caught between an anguished former minister and party ticket aspirant Dayanand Mandrekar and an ambitious cabinet colleague who has been ‘active’ in the coastal constituency.
The former minister and three-time Siolim MLA Dayanand Mandrekar questioned the government’s failure to take action against a “neighbouring minister” who has been “meddling” in Siolim constituency, even as the Chief Minister deftly chose to ignore his protest. “We did not have any opposition in Siolim but recently a minister in our government from a neighbouring constituency has started meddling in our affairs. And the sad part is that the government has not been able to take appropriate action against him,” Mandrekar lamented, in his truncated address due to paucity of time.
Mandrekar compared the minister’s venture in his constituency as a sore which had to be treated quickly before it festers further and becomes difficult to treat.
“A wound when it is in the initial stage can be cured easily with proper medication, but if it gets infested and turns worse, then it becomes difficult to treat,” he said.
He further said that it was his responsibility to bring it to the chief minister’s attention about the activities in the constituency. “Many of my karyakartas had asked me to raise the issue at the meeting today,” he said.
In his 18 minute address to the karyakartas, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant spoke at length about the government’s achievements, but did not say a word on Mandrekar’s objection.
Later, Sawant side stepped questions lobbed at him by the journos on his cabinet colleague’s foray in Siolim. “Will respond later,” Sawant said, to a query on his cabinet colleague’s activities in Siolim.
For the last couple of months, Ports Minister, Michael Lobo has been actively moving around and contacting key people and organising events in Siolim constituency.
He has also publicly claimed that his wife, Delilah Lobo, who is presently the Sarpanch of Parra would contest from the Siolim constituency.
