'MGP-Congress were planning coup to topple BJP-led coalition'

Maharastrwadi Gomantak Party leaders were planning a coup along with the Congress MLAs to pull down the BJP-led coalition government last week, Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar, one of the two MLAs who split the MGP and merged into the BJP early on Wednesday, said.

"There were efforts to topple the government. They (MGP) wanted to form a government with the Congress," Ajgaonkar told reporters soon after splitting the MGP and joining the BJP, along with MLA Deepak Pauskar, amid late night drama at the state legislative assembly complex.

The third MLA from the regional party, Sudin Dhavalikar, is currently the deputy Chief Minister, but according to BJP sources, he is likely to be sacked from the state cabinet soon.

"I did not want to be a party to a plot which was meant to topple the BJP led coalition government," Ajgaonkar also said, even as friction between leaders of MGP and BJP spilled into the public domain over the last few days.

Ajgaonkar's comments come a week after the BJP cobbled together a new coalition government last week, following the death of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.

Both the BJP as well as Congress leaders were engaged in hectic parleys to form a government in the coastal state, after the death of the sitting Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on March 17, necessitated formation of a new ruling dispensation.

--IANS

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