MAPUSA
State Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President, Jose Philip D’Souza did not deny that the lone party MLA Churchill Alemao supported the BJP-led government on several issues in the State but stated that the Benaulim MLA often said he was getting his constituency work done from the chief minister.
D’Souza also said, on Thursday, that NCP national president Sharad Pawar and senior leader Praful Patel were aware of all the developments in the State.
“Churchill often said a lot of work has to be done in his constituency. He even said in the assembly that he is getting all the work done by the CM. Since there is only one MLA there is a lot of pressure and with that pressure, he has to work,” D’Souza said adding, “Sharad Pawar knows what is happening in the State.”
The State NCP President was responding to a query on Benaulim MLA’s tacit support to the BJP-led government in the State.
Besides supporting the current BJP-led government on several issues on the floor of the House, NCP MLA Churchill Alemao had supported the BJP-led alliance cobbled up by former chief minister late Manohar Parrikar during the trust vote in the assembly in March 2017.
Earlier, while addressing a gathering after opening the NCP office in Mapusa, D’Souza reiterated the importance of allying with opposition parties to prevent the division of secular votes.
“If the opposition has to be a force to reckon with in the State then we need to come together to fight the 2022 assembly polls. We as NCP, Congress, Goa Forward Party and MGP should think of a broad alliance,” he said.
“It’s not because we require it but the need of the hour is to join forces to prevent division of votes. People of Goa also want this,” he added.
He said so far no decision on alliance or to fight the election separately was taken but the State NCP leaders would soon meet in Mumbai along with the senior national leaders to decide the future course of action.
D’Souza said several politicians in the State were in talks with the party but no decision on admitting any of the current MLAs has been taken.
General Secretary of the NCP Sanjay Barde and other leaders also spoke on the occasion.
The NCP office has been opened on the sixth floor in the Buildmore Business Centre premises in Mapusa.
