the goan I network
PANAJI
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday brought Urban Development Minister Francis D’Souza and Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo to the table and coerced the duo to bury the hatchet.
Parrikar reportedly directed both the senior party leaders to refrain from making any statements to the media pertaining to the recent spat between them.
The chief minister’s efforts have seemingly borne success, for now, as emerging out of the meeting, both D’Souza and Lobo told the waiting media that there are no differences between them.
“Whatever has to be spoken to the media I will do the talking,” D’Souza quoted the chief minister as having said at the meeting called to sort out the differences. “The differences will continue only if he (Lobo) has differences. I have no differences,” D’Souza who was Deputy Chief Minister in the previous term said.
Lobo also said that there are no differences between him and D’Souza.
He none-the-less added that political leaders should learn to deal with criticism and take corrective steps, indicating that although the Chief Minister may have put a stop to the acrimony for now, the crack in the political relationship between him and his former mentor from Mapusa is far from mended.
Lobo had triggered a political tremor of sorts more than a week ago by questioning D’Souza’s leadership in the town following the chaos wreaked by heavy monsson showers in the town. Lobo’s critical comments were made to the media at a school function where he was the chief guest on a day when D’Souza was out of the country.
On his return to Goa, D’Souza retaliated and questioned Lobo’s record in Calangute where he said prostitution and drug abuse was rampant under Lobo’s watch.
The duo will now be closely watched to ascertain whether Parrikar’s efforts on Thursday and the instant calm is really a permanent full stop or merely a punctuation in the political confrontation between them.
