NT NETWORK
PANAJI
The future of the alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) will become clear following the meeting of the central committee of the MGP to be held after December 8, just as a highly placed source in the state BJP unit on Tuesday expressed concern over the growing proximity and behind-the-curtain deliberations between the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) and the MGP, which is the alliance partner in the state government led by BJP.
The source told ‘The Navhind Times,’ “We find our partner getting enticed by the new bride (BBSM) and moving away from the BJP, especially with the kind of statements the MGP leaders are making against the BJP, recently.” “We are keenly watching the response of the MGP to the offer from BBSM as regards the MGP joining hands with the Goa Suraksha Manch, the political outfit of the BBSM, for the forthcoming state assembly election,” the source maintained.
It may be recalled that Narayan Sawant, a MGP leader had recently stated that his party was feeling “suffocated” in its alliance with the BJP, just as it felt during its previous alliance with the Congress.
Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, interacting with the pressmen during the day, said that he would like to retain the BJP-MGP alliance during the forthcoming state assembly election. “However, if the MGP leaders think differently, then I am helpless,” he added, pointing out that for any alliance, both the parties need to work on the same wavelength, and respond to each other amicably, or else the partnership is bound to fail.
Minister for Public Works and senior MGP leader Ramakrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar, speaking to this daily said that the MGP leaders have been really hurt due to the behaviour of the state BJP unit towards his party. “And therefore, they are just expressing their feelings towards the BJP,” he added, maintaining that he cannot ask the MGP leaders to refrain from making any statements against the local BJP unit.
The MGP has already made it clear that it would demand 14 out of the total 40 state electoral constituencies from the BJP, under seat-sharing exercise, as also demand Bicholim and Dabolim constituencies from the BJP for the 2017 state assembly election.
Speaking further, Dhavalikar said that the decision of the MGP central committee, which would meet after December 8, to discuss the MGP-BJP alliance, will be final and binding on all in his party.