MARGAO
Saying that lobbying has no place in the BJP, Union Ayush Minister and senior BJP leader Shripad Naik on Saturday said the party’s core committee will take a call on whether his son merit’s nomination for the post of Chairperson of the North Goa Zilla Panchayat or will he turn out to be the party’s candidate for the Cumbarjua Assembly seat in 2022.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of a book release at the Multipurpose hall, Borda, on Saturday, the Union Minister said though the incumbent MLA is down with illness, it is purely for the party leadership and the core committee to decide whether his son should contest the Assembly polls on the party banner from Cumbarjua.
“My son Siddesh has won the Zilla Panchayat polls with a comfortable margin, but whether he would occupy any position in the North Goa Zilla panchayat or be the party candidate will be decided by the party core committee. There’s one year to go for the Assembly election and the party will take a call on these issues at the right time,”
he added.
Reminding that he had presided over a host of party positions in his political career, Naik said he had never lobbied or demanded these positions from the party.
“In my entire political career, I have not asked for any position. I was the party general secretary before becoming the party president. As a disciplined soldier of the party, I was nominated for the Lok Sabha ticket and I have won the seat a number of times. I did not ask for any Ministerial berth in the Union Cabinet, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi inducted me in his Cabinet,” Naik said adding he had never asked for any position or post in the party or in the government.
The Union Minister complimented the newly-elected Zilla Panchayat members, saying that he is indebted to the people for giving a clear majority to the party in both the North and South Goa Zilla Panchayats.
