A conspiracy over Mapusa?
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has been in overdrive. Perhaps realising that if the BJP needs to retain power, his government will not only need to perform but will also have to be seen performing, Manohar Parrikar set his sights on Mapusa.
In a whirlwind tour, the MLA of nearly three decades who grew up in Mapusa but represents Panaji, finally took a look at the city which, according to his own party colleague Michael Lobo has been neglected for decades.
The town that was once second to none in Goa, has not seen any major infrastructure upgrades over the last five decades. All the swanky projects were sent in Panjim's way. However, Mapusa is suddenly on not only the Chief Minister's radar, but also, coincidentally or otherwise, that of Calangute MLA Michael Lobo.
The North Goa Planning and Development Authority Lobo, seems to have his attention on Mapusa. This comes at a time my the actual MLA of Mapusa for what's close to two decades now, Francisco Souza is believed to be not in the best of health and when he was out of the state?
Let the conspiracy theories roll...
The sounds of silence
Siolim MLA Vinoda Paliencar has been a rather quiet man these days. After initially coming all guns blazing first against loud music, rave parties and later EDM Music Festivals, the Goa Forward leader has been maintaining a low profile.
The tourism season is upon us, drug seizures continue and the state is all set to host one and possibly even more music festivals this winter.
But Paliencar has not uttered a word. Perhaps he is preoccupied with the responsibilities as a minister of water resources and fisheries.
Or could his silence on several contentious issues primarily drugs, be ‘fuelled' by the fact that he recently made a trip to Russia and got a ‘taste' of how the world works and realised that it's better to sit back and enjoy another 365-day ‘trip' around the sun?
Either way, those who sponsored his trip, certainly seem to have got their money's worth.
Caught between a rock and a hard place
On the issue of silence, it wasn't too long ago that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, asked his cabinet colleagues and ruling party MLAs to zip it when it comes to drugs and other issues that could potentially embarrass his government.
But it seems that it is the Congress that has got the memo and not his own ruling party MLAs. The principal opposition party has gone into standby mode on a whole range of issues like that of casinos and availability of drugs, etc while the usually vocal ruling party MLAs have continued to be as vocal as they always were.
The less said about the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Shantaram Naik the better. Given his mild, non confrontational nature and unwillingness to directly take on the government the senior politicians has to be actually goaded by journalists into saying anything of significance that is news byte worthy.
No matter how you try to lead him on, Naik will make it seem like he is stuck between a rock and a hard place.
On another totally unrelated note, do you know what Shantaram Naik shares in common with Hollywood actor Tyrese Gibson of the Fast and Furious franchise?
They are both caught between a rock and a hard place -- one caught between a rock and a hard place and another caught between ‘The Rock' and a hard place.
Parrikar the knight in shining
armour?
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, much like his mentor Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, has once again come to the rescue of shall we call, business houses in distress?
Just as the Central Government in the form of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley have claim to have come to the rescue of small businessmen, traders, exporters and the like rescuing them from the oppressive GST tax regime, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and his government has come to the rescue of charter tour operators in Goa by opening slots for them in the current season enabling more landing slots for charter flights especially on weekends.
Except there's one problem. If you are the one to have locked the damsel, who is consequently in distress, up in the castle's tower, you going and simply unlocking the door, and ‘rescuing' the princess will not make you a knight in shining armour.
You can't be both the villainous monster and the knight in shining armour.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has been in overdrive. Perhaps realising that if the BJP needs to retain power, his government will not only need to perform but will also have to be seen performing, Manohar Parrikar set his sights on Mapusa.
In a whirlwind tour, the MLA of nearly three decades who grew up in Mapusa but represents Panaji, finally took a look at the city which, according to his own party colleague Michael Lobo has been neglected for decades.
The town that was once second to none in Goa, has not seen any major infrastructure upgrades over the last five decades. All the swanky projects were sent in Panjim's way. However, Mapusa is suddenly on not only the Chief Minister's radar, but also, coincidentally or otherwise, that of Calangute MLA Michael Lobo.
The North Goa Planning and Development Authority Lobo, seems to have his attention on Mapusa. This comes at a time my the actual MLA of Mapusa for what's close to two decades now, Francisco Souza is believed to be not in the best of health and when he was out of the state?
Let the conspiracy theories roll...
The sounds of silence
Siolim MLA Vinoda Paliencar has been a rather quiet man these days. After initially coming all guns blazing first against loud music, rave parties and later EDM Music Festivals, the Goa Forward leader has been maintaining a low profile.
The tourism season is upon us, drug seizures continue and the state is all set to host one and possibly even more music festivals this winter.
But Paliencar has not uttered a word. Perhaps he is preoccupied with the responsibilities as a minister of water resources and fisheries.
Or could his silence on several contentious issues primarily drugs, be ‘fuelled' by the fact that he recently made a trip to Russia and got a ‘taste' of how the world works and realised that it's better to sit back and enjoy another 365-day ‘trip' around the sun?
Either way, those who sponsored his trip, certainly seem to have got their money's worth.
Caught between a rock and a hard place
On the issue of silence, it wasn't too long ago that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, asked his cabinet colleagues and ruling party MLAs to zip it when it comes to drugs and other issues that could potentially embarrass his government.
But it seems that it is the Congress that has got the memo and not his own ruling party MLAs. The principal opposition party has gone into standby mode on a whole range of issues like that of casinos and availability of drugs, etc while the usually vocal ruling party MLAs have continued to be as vocal as they always were.
The less said about the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Shantaram Naik the better. Given his mild, non confrontational nature and unwillingness to directly take on the government the senior politicians has to be actually goaded by journalists into saying anything of significance that is news byte worthy.
No matter how you try to lead him on, Naik will make it seem like he is stuck between a rock and a hard place.
On another totally unrelated note, do you know what Shantaram Naik shares in common with Hollywood actor Tyrese Gibson of the Fast and Furious franchise?
They are both caught between a rock and a hard place -- one caught between a rock and a hard place and another caught between ‘The Rock' and a hard place.
Parrikar the knight in shining
armour?
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, much like his mentor Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, has once again come to the rescue of shall we call, business houses in distress?
Just as the Central Government in the form of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley have claim to have come to the rescue of small businessmen, traders, exporters and the like rescuing them from the oppressive GST tax regime, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and his government has come to the rescue of charter tour operators in Goa by opening slots for them in the current season enabling more landing slots for charter flights especially on weekends.
Except there's one problem. If you are the one to have locked the damsel, who is consequently in distress, up in the castle's tower, you going and simply unlocking the door, and ‘rescuing' the princess will not make you a knight in shining armour.
You can't be both the villainous monster and the knight in shining armour.
