In a midnight drama in Goa, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant dropped Deputy Chief Minister Sudin Dhavalikar after two of his Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) MLAs joined the ruling BJP, leaving him high and dry in the coastal State. Dhavalikar was made the Deputy CM when Sawant became Chief Minister after the death of then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
Meanwhile, the Goa Forward Party (GFP), a partner in the State Government, has expressed fear about creation of “suspicion among partners” after the two MGP MLAs broke away and joined the BJP.
While forming Government this month, the BJP had “accommodated” both the supporting parties’ Chief Ministerial claimants GFP chief Vijai Sardesai and MGP MLA Dhavalikar as Deputy Chief Ministers with BJP’s Sawant appointed as Chief Minister.
BJP president Amit Shah and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had then coordinated the moves to install Sawant, then Assembly Speaker, as new State CM.
The midnight coup crafted by the BJP saw two of the three MGP MLAs — Manohar Ajgaonkar and Dipak Pawaskar — giving a letter to officiating Speaker Michael Lobo, merging their party’s legislative wing with the BJP.
Dhavalikar, the lone MGP MLA who did not break away from the party, hit back, terming the development as “dacoity by chowkidars”. On Tuesday, MGP president Dipak Dhavalikar had claimed that his party was the target of a conspiracy by opponents.
In a communication addressed to Goa Governor Mridula Sinha, Sawant informed her about dropping Dhavalikar.
“I have dropped Sudin Dhavalikar from the Cabinet. The decision on filling up the vacant seat will be taken very soon,” Sawant was quoted as saying by PTI. The CM’s recommendation to drop Dhavalikar was accepted by Sinha.
Dhavalikar said, “People are stunned the way, in the middle of the night, ‘chowkidars’ conducted dacoity on MGP. People are watching and they will consider their course of action,” he said.
He claimed the MGP was an outfit of the masses and would not be eliminated by such moves.
Dhavalikar was allotted portfolios of Transport and Public Works which would be now looked after by Sawant.
Governor Sinha, who is in New Delhi now, has cut short her visit and would be arriving in Goa later during the evening to administer the oath to the new Minister replacing Dhavalikar.
Parrikar was heading a coalition Government comprising the BJP, three MLAs each of the GFP, the MGP and three Independents.
The Congress is currently the single largest party in the State with 14 MLAs. The BJP has 12 legislators in the 40-member Assembly, whose strength now is 36 after Parrikar’s death.