PANAJI
What was officially described as a coordination meeting to discuss programs marking 12 years of the Narendra Modi government quickly turned into a closed-door airing of political anxieties, administrative frustrations and turf battles within Goa’s ruling alliance.
At the meeting attended by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, BJP State president Damu Naik, Union Minister Shripad Naik, MGP leader and Minister Sudin Dhavalikar, along with BJP, MGP and supporting Independent MLAs, several legislators reportedly voiced concerns that cut far deeper than organisational planning or outreach programmes like Mann Ki Baat.
Sources told The Goan that one of the sharpest discussions centered around ongoing recruitment through the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), with a few ministers and MLAs allegedly expressing unease over merit-based appointments and their political consequences ahead of future elections.
Several legislators also objected to some departments allegedly not forwarding vacancy lists to the government for advertisement, while others openly questioned the ongoing SSC recruitment process.
Sources said that though no one directly opposed merit-based hiring in explicit terms, there were apprehensions about the traditional political influence MLAs exercise through government jobs in their constituencies.
The meeting also exposed growing resentment over financial clearances and stalled development projects, with some openly questioning the functioning of the Finance Department.
One minister reportedly raised objections after around Rs 200-crore project file was returned by the department, citing lack of funds, while another complained of not receiving approval for a single proposal despite announcing development works in the constituency.
“No file is passing through the Finance Department,” a source quoted one legislator as saying during the discussion.
The meeting also witnessed friction within the BJP-MGP alliance, with one BJP minister reportedly objecting strongly to MGP’s “interference” in his constituency.
Sources said the minister complained about political encroachment by alliance partner MGP in the Shiroda constituency and made it clear that he did not want outside intervention in his political turf.
Notably absent from the meeting were ministers Vishwajit Rane, Atanasio Monserrate and Mauvin Godinho, though sources said their absence was due to separate reasons.
The BJP had stated that the official agenda focused on outreach activities linked to the Modi government’s anniversary celebrations.
Meanwhile, addressing the media after the meeting, CM Sawant said that around 3,000 clear orders under the Mhaje Ghar scheme will be distributed across North and South Goa by June 10. The scheme, he said, is being implemented through panchayats to make the process more accessible and help people obtain their sanads at the local level.
Also, from June 5 to September 5, Goa will undertake a 90-day plantation drive to plant nearly 10 lakh trees and create green corridors along highways and roads across the state with the participation of panchayats, MLAs and local bodies.
