BJP ally MGP dismisses questions over stability of Parrikar

Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, a key ally in Goa's ruling BJP-led coalition, on Wednesday dismissed questions over the stability of Manohar Parrikar government but expressed readiness to face mid-term polls in case the Assembly is dissolved.

MGP leader and PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar, whose party has three seats in the 40-member Assembly, said there won't be any change in leadership in the state.

Questions over the stability of the government have been raised by the Opposition Congress because of Parrikar's illness. The CM is currently undergoing treatment at AIIMS in Delhi for a pancreatic ailment.

The Congress has, in fact, demanded that the government should have vote of confidence in the Assembly to prove its majority.

The BJP, which has 14 MLAs, is ruling the state with the help of MGP, the Goa Forward Party (GFP), NCP and three Independents. GFP has three seats and NCP has one.

"There is nothing wrong in the current political situation of Goa. The CM is not here because he is unwell. There won't be any change in leadership in Goa. We want Manohar Parrikar to be our leader and till the time he can work for the people of Goa, he will be continue to be our leader," Dhavalikar told reporters here.

He ruled out replacement of the chief minister.

The minister said the government would continue in office till people want. "Elections would be imminent if the people doesn't want the government to continue," he said.

At the same time, he added, "The MGP is ready to face mid-term assembly elections in case of dissolution" of the Assembly.

The minister said his party will not be affected whether the assembly is dissolved or not.

"But, the people got us elected for the tenure of five years (in 2017) and we want to complete our term," he said.

The opposition Congress, which has 16 MLAs in the House of 40, had demanded a floor test claiming that all is not well among the allies of the BJP in view of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's absence from office due to ill health.

"...Anything can happen in politics. Even a group of ten legislators can switch over to another party. We had seen it in a state where an entire group of Congress MLAs, including chief minister, had shifted to the BJP overnight," Dhavlikar said.

He said the CM would allot additional portfolios to ministers after October 9.