GUILHERME ALMEIDA
MARGAO
Chief Minister’s Manohar Parrikar’s ill-health coupled with the Supreme Court ban on mining, which will come into force in the state from March 16 has come as a dampener and has taken the fizz out of the coalition government’s plans to celebrate the completion of one year in office on March 14.
While there isn’t going to be any celebration on Wednesday, Union Surface Minister Nitin Gadkari is expected to descend upon the state within a week’s time and hold meetings with the coalition partners, including the Goa Forward party, MGP and Independents supporting the coalition government.
With Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar away in the USA for specialized treatment and the BJP leadership back home battling the mining crisis, with state president Vinay Tendulkar, Union Minister Sripad Naik, South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar in Delhi for a meeting with the Union Ministers on the imminent crisis, there isn’t going to be any celebration in the state to coincide with one year of office of the Manohar Parrikar-led coalition dispensation.
The coalition partners, including the Goa Forward party, are also lying low when many had expected Party supremo Vijai Sardesai to go great guns with a list of achievements of the regional outfit after joining hands with the BJP exactly a year ago to form the coalition government.
Last time around when the TCP Minister went to the people of Fatorda with claims of development in Fatorda after launching the underground cabling work costing Rs 25 crore, he had made it very clear that he had made a ‘positive compromise’ a year ago to usher in the development of the constituency.
“There isn’t going to be any celebration of one year in office, though we may have many achievements to our credit during the last one year. I will not say the picture is gloomy in the state with the imminent shut down of the mining operations beginning from March 16, but it is posing a big challenge for the government to work out a solution and tackle the crisis head on,” TCP Minister told The goan on Tuesday.
When The Goan contacted BJP President and Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Tendulkar, who was holed up in Delhi in connection with the meeting with Union Ministers on the mining issue, he too informed that the party will not celebrate the completion of the government’s one year in office, with the Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar undergoing treatment in the USA and the mining issue.
He said Union Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari will arrive in the state within a week’s time to take stock of the situation and will have a meeting with the coalition partners.
