Governance stalemate: BJP observers
face uphill task in filling the vacuum
the goan I network
PANAJI
The political drama in Goa prompted by the health-induced absence of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar showed no signs of ending on Sunday. The BJP’s central observers who arrived in the afternoon to assess and resolve the stalemate in governance, encountered a new hurdle when the three-MLAs strong alliance partner Goa Forward Party led by TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai and three Independent legislators opposed any change or temporary mechanism to replace the status-quo.
Sardesai trooped in with the five MLAs in tow to meet the BJP’s central observers at the Fidalgo Hotel in Panaji and conveyed the groups collective opposition to handing over the coalition government’s operational mantle to PWD Minister Sudin Dhavlikar.
After his meeting with the BJP’s national general secretaries B L Santhosh and Ram Lal and Goa in-charge Vijay Puranik, Sardesai told waiting journalists outside the hotel that the GFP MLAs and the three Indpendents have opposed any move to bring in a temporary change.
Sardessai said, the Central observers were told that if at all there is to be a change then they should com e up with a permanent solution.
Sardessai entered the hotel at the head of a bloc of six legislators including his GFP’s two MLAs - Cabinet Ministers Vinoda Palienkar and Jayesh Salgaonkar - and the three independents namely, Rohan Khaunte, Govind Gaude and Prasad Gaonkar.
Members of the second ally, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party also met the Central team subsequently. Their leader and PWD Minister Sudin Dhavlikar told the media that he pitched before the BJP’s central team for a solution to Goa’s mining conundrum.
MGP’s Sanvordem MLA, Deepak Pawaskar, meanwhile told reporters that they have also told the BJP’s Central team that they were okay with the government continuing to function under the leadership of Parrikar but should the need arise for handing over charge, then the baton should go to Dhavlikar, he being the most senior cabinet minister.
The three observers were also thrown in another option for consideration mostly from MLAs of the BJP whom they met individually -- to ensure that a minister from within the party is given the charge.
Leaders of the BJP meanwhile continued to be in denial mode of the crisis triggered by Parrikar’s absence.
Tendulkar who spoke to the media insisted that there was no question of any leadership change as Parrikar was only undergoing treatment at the AIIMS and would return to lead the government.
He sought to downplay the visit of the Central team saying all three of them were functionaries in-charge of the party organisation and had come down to take stock of organisational matters and the party’s preparations in Goa for both the Parliamentary elections and the programme for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet scheme of “Swaach Bharat”.
South Goa MP Narendra Sawaiker also echoed Tendulkar’s comments and sought to downplay the importance of the Central team’s visit.
The BJP’s MLAs Nilesh Cabral and Glen Ticlo however gave away the real mission of the Central Observers’ team by admitting that issues related to the functioning of the coalition government in the absence of Parrikar who is undergoing treatment were discussed in their one-to-one meetings with the observers.
“We are a national party. Whenever such situations arise, Central observers are sent to assess the situation and come up with solutions. This is what they are doing,” Glen Ticlo told The Goan after his meeting with the observers.
Cabral meanwhile said he has conveyed to the Central leaders that replacing Manohar Parrikar was unthinkable.
“At the most someone from within ourselves can be picked to temporarily hold the reins of the administration,” Cabral said he told the observers.
Cabral dismissed as hypothetical a suggestion whether the option of having Union Ayush Minister, Shripad Naik, as a replacement to Manohar Parrikar did come up for discussion.
“Why bring him here? He’s already a minister at the Centre. And what will we do when Parrikar recovers and returns? Will we ask Shripad to step down and make him CM again?,” Cabral shot back.
The three Central observers meanwhile will hold a meeting on Monday morning with the BJP’s core committee comprising the three MPs, vice-president Dutta Kholkar, treasurer Sanjiv Desai, general secretary Sadanand Tanavade, former chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar and former minister Rajendra Arlekar.
They are expected to leave for the national capital on Monday itself and present a report of their confabulations to the BJP chief Amit Shah to enable the party take a final call on how to resolve Goa’s political conundrum.
