the goan I network
mapusa
Infuriated after its mentor and Calangute MLA Michael Lobo had not been included as minister on Monday, the North Goa Taxi Owner’s Association (NGTOA) decided to stage a sit-in agitation at Azad Maidan in Panaji on October 5 and have even threatened to work against BJP at the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.
The dropping of senior BJP leader Francis D’Souza from the cabinet may not have gone down well with a section from the Mapusa constituency, but another section in Calangute constituency was equally peeved over the exclusion of Lobo following the latest reshuffle of ministers on Monday.
“BJP leaders had promised to elevate Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo as minister, which they have failed to honour. Lobo has always been in the forefront of supporting the cause of taxi owners and we are deeply hurt as he was not made a minister,” complained North Goa Taxi Owner’s Association (NGTOA) Secretary
Vinayak Nanoskar.
“We will now work against the BJP in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections,” he warned.
NGTOA spokesperson Bappa Korgaonkar said, “Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and BJP State President Vinay Tendulkar had promised us that they would elevate Lobo as minister. However, his name was not even considered during the reshuffle of ministers and we consider this an insult to our sentiments. Hence, we have decided to stage a dharna.”
“By sidelining Lobo, the BJP has shown its colours and they have deliberately denied him a ministerial birth. We had great faith in BJP but we have been left disillusioned by this party,” the NGTOA spokesperson said.
Furthermore he added, “We will teach them a lesson by getting all the taximen from Goa to work against the BJP at the coming Lok Sabha election. At least 20,000-22,000 voters directly or indirectly linked to the taxi trade will not vote for the BJP
candidate.”
Seeking to question the Bhartiya Janata Party high command for insisting on retaining an ailing Parrikar as chief minister, Korgaonkar added: “Government servants have to produce a fitness certificate if they are ill, but our CM has been unwell for last seven months and is unfit to discharge his duties as chief minister. Under these circumstances, how has the BJP high command allowed him to continue as chief minister,” questioned Korgaonkar.
