CANACONA
The three-day Lokutsav-21 organised by former Minister Ramesh Tawadkar's Adarsh Yuwa Sangh and attended by Governors from three States and the Goa Chief Minister came to an end on Sunday.Incidentally, the Lokutsav organised nationally in collaboration with Department of Information and Publicity, Arts and Culture Dept and Tribal Welfare Department with the support of NABARD, Union Ministry of Tribal Welfare, performances by tribal folklore drawn from 8 States and tribal representations from 12 States, has intensified the rivalry between Dy Speaker and Canacona MLA Isidore Fernandes and Ex-Minister (present SC ST Commission Chairman and BJP State Vice President) Ramesh Tawadkar.
With the former Canacona MLA Vijay Poi Khot himself pulling out of race for BJP nominations, both Fernandes and Tawadkar are the contenders for BJP ticket for the forthcoming assembly elections.
This 3-day function was given a miss by Union Tribal Minister Arjun Munda, Goa's Arts and Culture Minister Govind Gawde, Dy Speaker and Canacona MLA Isidore Fernandes, BJP Goa State President Sadanand Tanavde and CMC Chairperson Simon Rebello on the Inaugural day itself.
Incidentally, the event took on political overtones after Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant asked the audience to support him and rally behind Ramesh Tawadkar if people want the government to continue on the developmental path initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Sawant, along with BJP secretary Satish Dhond, had earlier in the day attended two functions alongwith Dy Speaker and Canacona MLA Isidore Fernandes at Government Higher Secondary School, besides visiting a special children's school on the request of Fernandes, and others thereafter proceeded to the Lokutsav venue, which Fernandes skipped.
Many took the Chief Minister's statement as his endorsement of the candidature of Ramesh Tawadkar.
On the second day, though Chattisgarh Governor Anusuiya Ukey graced the function, Goa's Power Minister Nilesh Cabral skipped the function, and neither of the other two invitees MLA (Shiroda) Subhash Shirodkar as well as NRI Commissioner Adv Narendra Savoikar made it to the function.
The function on concluding day had even more absentees with PWD Minister Deepak Pauskar and MP(Rajyasabha) Vinay Tendulkar prominently skipping it , even though Union Minister for State for Tourism and Ports Shripad Naik and ESG Vice-Chairman and ex-sanguem MLA. Subhash Phaldesai reached half way though the function already commenced and Governor of Himachal Pradesh Rajendra Arlekar was addressing.
Interestingly, the opening of 35 cr Central and State Government funded Ashram School and Lokutsav-21 was participated by MP (RS) and BJP ST Morcha's Sameer Oraoun and TRIFED President Ramsingh Ratwa.
