Goa CM rubbishes allegations of cheating by former ally GFP

Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant Saturday rubbished allegations of the Goa Forward Party (GFP) that the BJP has “cheated” its allies by dropping them from Cabinet after inducting 10 MLAs of the Congress into the saffron party.

Earlier in the day, GFP president and outgoing deputy chief minister Vijai Sardesai alleged that the NDA has ditched its partners with whom it had formed a government in 2017.

Sardesai, along with rest two ministers of the GFP, and an Independent were dropped from Cabinet ahead of the reshuffle which saw induction of new entrants Chandrakant Kavlekar, Jeniffer Monserratte and Philip Neri Rodrigues, all previously with Congress, and Michael Lobo of the BJP.

“We have not cheated anyone. We have taken the decision as per directions of our Central leadership,” Sawant told reporters after swearing-in ceremony of four ministers.

The chief minister said he had approached the Central leadership with a factual position that the BJP enjoys full majority with 27 MLAs by its side in the House of 40.

“I don’t want to blame anyone. I just wanted to streamline administration,” he added.

Sardesai had termed induction of Congress MLAs as the “death of the legacy of late chief minister Manohar Parrikar”.

“Parrikar died twice…once on March 17 physically while today it is the death of his political legacy,” Sardesai told a gathering held near Parrikar memorial at Miramar.