the goan I network
PANAJI
Members of the BJP State executive on Wednesday held a stormy meeting at its headquarters in Panaji at which several members expressed displeasure over the development in which the two Congress MLAs, Dayanand Sopte and Subhash Shirodkar, who quit as legislators were inducted into the party without consulting the local leadership.
Former chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar, who had openly voiced his displeasure over the induction of Sopte on Tuesday, trained his guns at State unit president, Vinay Tendulkar, for the lack of communication between the High Command and the local leadership before the decision was taken.
The meeting at which discussions centered around Sopte and Shirodkar being inducted, Parsekar reiterated his reservation over the development and its long-term political fallout on the party’s fortunes in Goa.
Besides Parsekar and Tendulkar, other leaders who attended the meeting included Union Ayush Minister Shripad Naik, Vice-President Dutta Kholkar, Rajendra Arlekar, Damu Naik, South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar, Dayanand Mandrekar, Treasurer Sanjiv Dessai and Power Minister Nilesh Cabral.
After the meeting, Tendulkar sought to play down the strong reactions voiced by top local leaders. He said he had no knowledge about Parsekar’s critical comments over Sopte’s induction and claimed that the ex-CM had not criticized the move in any of the meetings he was part of.
Speaking to some media persons, Tendulkar also refuted the allegation that Congress MLAs were lured with lucrative offers to the join the party.
“They have come on their own. We have not spent even on their travel and stay in Delhi. They have borne the cost for their travel and stay in Delhi. The mediating person who went along with them also booked his ticket on his own,” Tendulkar said, adding that the development is only helping the BJP’s goal of ‘Congress Mukt Bharat’.
On cabinet berths to Shirodkar and Sopte, as well as tickets to contest the by-poll in their constituencies, Tendulkar said it will be decided by the party at an appropriate time. Asked about Laximikant Parsekar’s resentment about the party decision to induct Sopte, he said the decision of accepting two leaders to the party is taken by the high command.
“Two days earlier we informed Parsekar about the decision of the High Command,” Tendulkar claimed but the former chief minister denied it on record.
