the goan I network
MARGAO
The alliance government was hit by a political storm on Saturday triggered by Power Minister Nilesh Cabral’s purported “personal interest” comment on Goa Forward Chief Vijai Sardesai, with the BJP national leadership reaching out to the TCP Minister to soothe ruffled feathers and Cabral personally descending at Sardesai’s residence around noon to clarify his stand.
The Goa Forward chief also went to the town, sending a message loud and clear to the BJP leaders that the Goa Forward is an independent entity even going to the extent of saying that he would have been “somewhere else” if he had thought of his personal interest as alleged by Cabral.
He also took a jibe at Cabral, saying the Power Minister should know what is speaks as he has just joined the Cabinet a fortnight ago and has not even attended a formal Cabinet meeting. And, while insisting on a clarification from Cabral on the “personal interest” remark by evening, Sardesai reminded the BJP leadership of the consequences of allegations and counter allegations.
Trouble began when the Goa Forward supremo dispatched the news items on Cabral’s comments to whoever that matters in the national BJP leadership, virtually demanding an explanation on the Power Minister’s comments. As the day progressed, sources said many a local BJP leader was in touch with the TCP Minister to soothe ruffled feathers as they insisted that Cabral did not intend to insult the Goa Forward supremo with his remark. Sources in the know said that the national leadership was also seized of the resentment expressed by TCP minister and senior leaders are believed to have personally called up the Goa Forward chief to calm him.
Around noon, the Power Minister is believed to have descended at the Davondem residence of the TCP Minster and explained that he was misquoted had no intention to cast aspersions at him. “I spoke to Cabral, but he denied having said anything like that. Cabral spoke something of personal interest. If I was to think of my personal interest, I would not have been here, but somewhere else”, he told the media in the morning.
Saying that people in public life should ensure that personal or private interest do not conflict with the public good, he said “in this public good, Goans expect the Ministers and MLAs to be honest and not be hypocrite. People do not like hypocrites. If one says that everything is okay in this government, this is hypocrisy. I am not such a person. I will call spade a spade”, he said, demanding to know whether Amit Shah would have called a meeting with the alliance partners if everything was fine with the state leadership. “When I talk to the BJP national leadership, I do not want to join issue with a colleague of mine, who has joined the Cabinet just 15 days ago. I do not want to say how Manohar Parrikar has become the Chief Minister and who had made it happen. It is a fact that the Chief Minister is sick and his condition has affected the administration. But, Goans have a large heart, which is the hall mark of Goemkarponn”, he said, while sounding a warning that he would not sit quite if Cabral does not clarify his stand or will act accordingly.
