Two
ministers join BJP, not Mickky
Sandesh Prabhudesai
5 August 2003
Two ministers belonging to the two regional outfits formally
joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party today, increasing
saffron strength to 19 in the 40-member Goa Assembly.
"It is not at all an immoral act but a happy moment
of friends becoming relatives", said BJP national general
secretary Pramod Mahajan after the formal induction ceremony.
Transport minister Pandurang Madkaikar, belonging to the
Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (Nationalist) and Babush Monseratte
of the United Goans Democratic Party (Secular) merged their
splinter groups into the BJP today.
They had split from their original outfits last week, expressing
willingness to join the saffron camp.
Surprisingly, tourism minister Mickky Pacheco, who had also
split along with Monseratte, split once again forming his
individual group, called the UGDP (Scular-Mickky). At last
minute, he has refused to join the BJP.
Though BJP officials including Mahajan expressed ignorance
over why Pacheco stayed away from the saffronites, the tourism
minister's close associates admitted that none of his supporters
from the Christian-dominated Benaulim constituency backed
his move.
This has left PWD minister Sudin Dhawalikar in the original
MGP and legislator Mathany Saldhana in the original UGDP.
In spite of staying away from joining the BJP, all the three
members however continue to support the Manohar Parrikar-led
coalition government.
Unlike the three-member coalition, the only difference now
is that it is the five-member coalition, with each member
solely heading his own party.
According to Mahajan, these defections have no ulterior motives
since there is no inducement to make anybody a minister. "They
are already the ministers", he added.
However, according to political pundits, this act of engineering
defections within the supporting allies reflects BJP's helplessness.
It is considered to be a counter-move to keep the opposition
Congress away from wooing any of the allies and topple the
existing 13-month old government.
Mahajan refused to describe the act as a double speak when
the central leadership is talking about amending the tenth
schedule and scrap even the provision of allowing legal split
of one third of the party's total strength.
"I am not aware of any such move to amend the anti-defection
act and definitely not an ordinance in this regard",
stated Mahajan, dismissing any possibility of putting a stop
to the immoral defection games in the near future.
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