Cabinet reshuffle in Goa, two ministers dropped, two inducted

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar carried out a minor Cabinet resuffle Monday, dropping two ailing ministers and inducting two new faces in the state where the political situation has been a matter of much speculation recently.

The development came days after three central leaders were sent here by the high command of the ruling BJP to hold talks with the state party leaders and allies on the political situation in view of prolonged absence of ailing Parrikar.

BJP president Amit Shah yesterday put to rest the speculation about continuance of Parrikar who is hospitalised in Delhi, saying the 62-year-old chief minister would remain in his post.

The Opposition Congress has been claiming that all is not well in the BJP-led coalition government and has demanded a confidence vote in the Assembly.

Effecting the second reshuffle of his 18-month-old Cabinet, Parrikar dropped BJP ministers Francis D'Souza and Pandurang Madkaikar and inducted party MLAs Nilesh Cabral and Milind Naik.

Cabral and Naik were administered the oath of office by Governor Mridula Sinha at a simple ceremony at the Raj Bhawan.

Parrikar was not present at the swearing-in ceremony as he is admitted in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi because of a pancreatic ailment.

D'Souza, who was minister for urban development, is admitted at a hospital in the US.

Madkaikar, who was the power minister, is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Mumbai since June after he suffered a brain stroke.

D'Souza expressed unhappiness over his removal from the state cabinet, wondering if this was the reward given to him by the party for his 20-year-long loyalty.

The MLA, who got elected on the BJP ticket from Mapusa constituency in North Goa district for the past two decades, claimed he was not even taken into confidence before being dropped from the cabinet.

Naik, an MLA from Mormugao constituency in South Goa district, had earlier served as the power minister in the previous Laxmikant Parsekar-led cabinet.

Cabral, who represents the Curchorem constituency in South Goa district, is a first-time minister.

"I was surprised when I received a call from the chief minister at 8.45 a.m. today. I was told that I would be inducted in the cabinet," Naik told reporters after the swearing-in ceremony.

He said the experience that he had as a minster earlier worked in his favour to be chosen from amongst the BJP legislators for induction in the cabinet.

"Also we have guidance of the chief minister, which will help us to perform well," Naik said.

The state is being ruled by the BJP with the support of the Goa Forward Party (GFP), the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Independent MLAs.

The BJP has 14 seats in the 40-member Assembly, the GFP and the MGP have three each and the NCP has one. There are also three Independent legislators.

Goa BJP president Vinay Tendulkar said it was the decision of the party to chose the two legislators to be inducted while dropping DSouza and Madkaikar who are ailing.

"It is the decision of the party and the chief minister to induct anyone in the cabinet," he said.

Goa Forward Party (GFP) president Vijai Sardesai said it was entirely internal decision of the BJP to chose legislators for induction.

"We have nothing to do with their decision. They need not take us into confidence while doing it," he said.

Parrikar and his nine ministers were sworn in on March 14, 2017. In April last year, Mauvin Godinho and Vishwajit Rane were inducted into the cabinet after they quit the Congress to join the BJP.

The opposition Congress, which is the single-largest party in the state with 16 MLAs, has demanded that the Parrikar government should have a confidence vote, claiming that it had lost the majority in the Assembly.

However, the BJP has asserted that its government continues to have the support of a majority of MLAs.