PANAJI
For some, truth tastes bitter, Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho said on Thursday slamming his party and cabinet colleagues, Alina Saldanha and Michael Lobo, as the war of words between the three ruling BJP MLAs shows no sign of abating.
Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat, Godinho, who has been battling a running feud with Alina and Michael who have accused him of political overreach, also scoffed at allegations levelled by Alina on Wednesday that Godinho was interfering in her assembly constituency of Cortalim. “For some truth is bitter. When they feel the bitter (taste), there is a reaction,” Godinho commented on fighting on two fronts with his own party MLAs.
When asked to respond to allegations made by Alina Saldanha that he was interfering in her constituency of Cortalim, Godinho said: “I work in the whole of Goa. I am a minister for the whole of Goa. There is no question of interference (in Alina’s constituency), when I am a minister for the entire Goa,” Godinho said.
He also said that Alina’s specific allegation that not a single project has been carried out in Cortalim is “laughable”.
Apart from Alina, Michael Lobo has repeatedly accused Godinho of letting down the interests of taxi drivers in the State, while also slighting the Transport Minister, accusing him of being “haughty”.
Godinho specifically did not attack Lobo, but said that the taxi scenario in Goa was a dynamic one and that the government had always reached out to the taxi drivers lobby.
Lobo also contested the plea made by taxi drivers, who have now said that while the lobby was opposed to installation of digital meters, they were not averse to the idea of running an app-based service.
“When we were saying use an app, they were speaking another language,” Lobo said, adding that the government was only following orders laid down by the Bombay High Court in Goa.
“We are following the Court orders. I cannot change it even if I want to. Let them go to Court and say we will bring in an app-based service. They have gone thrice, let them go the fourth time,” Godinho said.
