MARGAO
This is the third time in a decade and half that Member of a Legislative Assembly, elected from Benaulim has decided to do business with the BJP on the plank of ushering in development of the constituency. Mickky Pacheco had joined hands with the BJP in 2002 when he was elected on the UGDP banner after cutting short Churchill’s free run in Benaulim. Mickky was duly rewarded by Parrikar with the plum Tourism portfolio for his decision to rally behind his government.
History repeated itself five years later when the Goa Vikas Party decided to extend support to the Manohar Parrikar regime in 2012. The GVP Benaulim MLA Caitu Silva was one of the prominent alliance partners of the BJP-led government headed by both Parrikar and later by Laxmikant Parsekar.
Incidentally, while both Mickky and then Caitu defended their decision to align with the BJP on the question of development, Churchill is no exception. After supporting the Parrikar government on the floor of the House, Churchill told The Goan that he has only gone by the sentiments of his workers and supporters, who urged him to back the government to get in developmental projects in the constituency. “My workers and supporters had as many as 4-5 meetings, wherein they told me to take a call and support the BJP government since the Congress could not cobble up the numbers to come to the magic figure,” Churchill asserted.
“I have been elected by the people of Benaulim to take up development of the constituency. My workers called me up on five occasions, asking me to support the BJP if the Congress cannot cobble up the numbers to form the government,” Churchill said, while defending his decision to extend support to the BJP-led government.
When his attention was drawn to his promise made to the people of Benaulim at one of his election meetings that he would never go with the BJP in the formation of the government, Churchill maintained that he has not joined the BJP, but has only extended support to the Parrikar
government on the plank of development.
When asked to comment on the fate of the Louis Berger case wherein his has been chargesheeted by the BJP government, Churchill shot back, “I have maintained from day one that I am innocent and will come out clean. I have
got nothing to do with the Louis Berger case. It was a false case.”
