NT NETWORK
PANAJI
Stating that the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) is competent enough to go alone at the 2017 state assembly election, MGP president Pandurang ‘Deepak’ Dhavalikar on Thursday said that the MGP would start the pre-poll alliance talks with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the assembly election only after the replacement of Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar.
Dhavalikar further stated that his party in no way would contest the state assembly election, next year, under the leadership of Parsekar, who has never taken the MGP into confidence as regards all his decisions. “The BJP will have to replace him immediately, and if the BJP leaders are ready for the same, then we would come out with our choice for this replacement,” he added.
The MGP is currently the alliance partner in the state government led by the BJP.
Dhavalikar, addressing pressmen in the city after chairing the meeting of the MGP’s central committee, said that his party had agreed to the assurance given by senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari as regards Manohar Parrikar being made the chief minister of Goa after the BJP-MGP victory at the 2012 state assembly election. “However, when due to certain reasons Parrikar had to leave Goa and join the Union cabinet, we were not consulted about his replacement, thus failing to honour ‘Yuti-dharma’ or alliance code,” he alleged.
Speaking further, Dhavalikar said that the MGP’s central committee has already discussed and finalised all the modalities related to the BJP-MGP pre-poll alliance, including sharing of seats and MGP’s choice of electoral constituencies. “However, Parsekar has to go as the Chief Minister, if the BJP wants to start alliance talks with us,” he reiterated, pointing out that the
ecisions taken by the particular committee would be made public once the state assembly elections are announced and the Election Code of Conduct comes into force.
Furthermore, it was informed that the MGP would launch their election campaign at the Mahalsa temple, Mardol, on December 11, and follow up with a public meeting on the same day, at Aguiar Ground, Tisk-Ponda.
The MGP president also maintained that all those desiring the MGP candidature for the 2017 state assembly election should make related application to the party. “The Parliamentary Committee of the MGP would soon be constituted to take decision on these applications,” he informed, mentioning that the MGP has already carried out groundwork in most of the Goan electoral constituencies, and at this point of time, the MGP has gathered strength in 20 to 23 such constituencies.
Maintaining that the state government did not take the MGP into confidence while issuing circulars related to the proposed cashless regime in Goa, Dhavalikar said that Goa can be made into a cashless state only after spreading awareness about the same and training the people about all its aspects, which may take 2 to 3 years.
“There is no Internet service, no range in Goan villages, and no credit/ debit cards with most of the people in the state,” he stated, predicting that whatever response has to be taken by Goans about the demonetisation and cashless regime would now be given by the people here after December 30, 2016. MGP legislator, Lavoo Mamledar, and party leaders namely Ratnakant Mhardolkar and Apa Teli were present at the briefing.