PANAJI
BJP’s claim of being the sole custodian of the mythical ‘Parrikar legacy’ came apart on Friday, after the former Chief Minister’s son, Utpal, an electrical engineer by training, gave the ruling party a numbing 240-volt jolt by tendering his resignation.
Utpal told a press conference in Panaji that the BJP no longer appears to be the same party which his father was a part of, while also announcing his decision to resign from the ruling party and contest the upcoming assembly poll from Panaji as an independent candidate. Uptal is a member of the BJP’s state executive committee.
In a terse reply to a query from media persons about his thoughts about the BJP’s claim about taking his father’s legacy forward, Utpal said: “No comments”.
Utpal also said that his decision to contest as an independent was not motivated by the glamour of hogging posts or positions, but to stand for values which his father stood for.
“Manohar Parrikar had represented Panaji constituency for more than two decades. This was possible because he enjoyed love and affection from the people of Panaji. All these years, he had developed an immense bond with the people of Panaji, which even I have developed. People of Panaji did not vote for Manohar Parrikar just because he is Manohar Parrikar. They voted for him because he stood for some values. The time has come for me to also stand for those values,” Utpal said.
“I tried my best even during last elections and this election (too) to convince my party that I enjoy the support of all the workers who have built this party for the last 30 years, who had toiled with my father to build this party in Panaji. They are also toiling with me today… In spite of that, for some reason, I have not been able to get the candidature of Panaji constituency. It has been given to someone who has opportunistically come within the party in the last two years,” he added.
“Due to these circumstances, I have no choice but to stand for the values my father believed in and go ahead and let the people of Panaji decide my political fate. I would like to announce that I will be contesting as an independent candidate from Panaji constituency,” he further said.
Fighting for values, Utpal said, was a “very high risk” affair and a difficult choice for him, but added that it was a battle which he had to fight for the people of Panaji, so that he could present them with an option during the election.
Claiming he was even embarrassed to name the candidate nominated by the BJP to contest from Panaji “ Atanasio Monserrate “ Utpal said that the Chief Minister himself had read out his list of crimes to the people of Panaji, when Monserrate -- now a BJP candidate -- had contested the Panaji bypoll on a Congress ticket in 2019.
“The candidate given by the party… I feel even embarrassed to talk about him. In Panaji, where the party has grown over 30 years, (the party) has given a ticket to someone with such a rap sheet who joined just two years ago, I had no choice. I have to go to the people,” Utpal said.
“I do not have to give the list. The Chief Minister himself has told the people of Panaji, during the bypoll when he (Monserrate) was a Congress candidate,” he added.
Responding to jibes from BJP’s Goa poll in-charge Devendra Fadnavis, who had said that being Parrikar’s son alone did not guarantee one a BJP ticket, Utpal said: “If I were seeking a ticket because I am Manohar Parrikar’s son, then I would have sought (a ticket) last time. I would have insisted. I listened to what the party said (at the time)”.
“Last time (2019 bypoll), the organisation rejected my candidature, despite popular support due to some special reasons. People know the circumstances... Now it does not look like a decision of Parrikar’s party,” he said.
