3-member BJP team in Goa discusses leadership issue with allies

Goa plunged into a major political uncertainty after Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was admitted to AIIMS on Saturday night.

The BJP has sent a three-member team of general secretary (Organisation) Ram Lal, joint secretary BL Santosh and Goa-incharge Vijay Purnaik to Panjim to take stock of the situation and deal with demand from the allies to resolve the leadership crisis in view of Parrikar’s prolonged illness. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari is expected to join them in Goa on Monday.

The BJP has decided to take pre-emptive measures as the Congress has swung into action to capitalise on the situation saying it is ready to explore formation of a party-led Government.

Parrikar has been ailing for eight months, but the BJP has been forced to take a look at the leadership issue after Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) chief Deepak Dhavalikar said Parrikar can remain the Chief Minister but he should hand over the charge of Chief Minister to the senior-most Minister in his Cabinet during his absence. The senior-most Minister in Parrikar’s Cabinet happens to be the MGP chief’s elder brother and PWD Minister Sudin Dhavilkar.

On whether his brother should be Parrikar’s replacement as Chief Minister, the MGP chief said, “I don’t know...let them tell who is the senior most. I am just saying that whoever is given charge should be the senior most.”

The Goa Chief Minister, who has been suffering from pancreatic ailments, has been in the AIIMS old private ward under the supervision of Dr Pramod Garg from the Gastroenterology Department. Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited AIIMS to enquire about Parrikar’s health on Sunday.

Parrikar, 62, had returned from the US in the first week of September, days after which he was admitted to hospital at Candolim in north Goa. Earlier this year, he had undergone a three-month-long treatment in the US.

The BJP team reached Panjim on Sunday afternoon and held talks with allies as well independent MLAs, whose support is must to keep the BJP-led Government afloat.

“They will be holding a series of meetings on Sunday and Monday with BJP leaders and also the alliance partners — the Goa Forward Party, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and Independents,” BJP State chief Vinay Tendulkar told reporters.

The BJP Central observers also met the party’s legislators as well as Goa unit chief Vinay Tendulkar and Member of Parliament (South Goa) Narendra Sawaikar at a city hotel. Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, after the meeting, said that he had given his views about the current political situation and it was now for the party to take a decision. Rane, however, refused to divulge details of the meeting.

“We have briefed them about the facts. Each one of us has our own views and we briefed them about it. It is not right to come out in public with what we discussed,” said the Goa Health Minister.

While the BJP has asked the GFP and MGP to merge their parties with the saffron outfit, both of them have refused to take the bait. BJP leader Michael Lobo, who is the Deputy Speaker of the Goa Assembly, had said on Saturday that the party emissaries will suggest the allies that they should become part of the saffron party and only after that there would be discussion on the next Chief Minister.

The BJP currently has 14 legislators in the 40-member Assembly while the GFP and the MGP have three MLAs each. The national party is also supported by three Independents.

The Opposition Congress has 16 MLAs while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has one legislator.

Meanwhile, the Congress on Sunday said it was watching the developments and may explore the possibility of forming a Government in Goa but “not by compromising the State’s interest.”

“Our stand is very clear. We will definitely explore all possibilities but that does not mean that we will do it by compromising the ideology or the interest of Goans,” All India Congress Committee secretary A Chellakumar, who is also Goa in-charge of the party, said.

“We are not in a hurry to capture power by compromising the interest of the people of Goa. The Congress is accountable to the people,” Chellakumar added.