GFP says CM should be ready to face former allies in House

A day after Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said he sacked his alliance partners because otherwise he would not have been able to work well, former ally GFP said the current state of affairs reflects badly on his performance.

He should be ready to face his former allies in the Assembly, the Goa Forward Party said.

"When I took over, there was pressure from certain allies. If I had to continue with them, perhaps I would not have been able to perform for the welfare of the state," the chief minister told Doordarshan on Tuesday.

All three GFP MLAs were dropped from the cabinet in July 2019, three months after Sawant became chief minister.

GFP vice president Durgadas Kamat said on Wednesday that three deaths at a music festival, the financial condition of the state, the Mahadayi issue and rampant use of drugs in the state speaks volumes about the "performance" of Sawant government.

Three persons died at the Sunburn music festival last week, with Opposition claiming that the deaths could be due to drug overdose.

The state is also witnessing protests over the Centre's go-ahead to Karnataka for a project which, it is alleged, would divert Goa's share of the Mahadayi river water.

"The CM should be ready to face the leaders of his former allies in the Assembly soon. Best of luck to him," Kamat said.

The Budget session of the Assembly would be held next month.

The GFP leader also claimed that Sawant was under fire from his own cabinet colleagues over the issue of drug menace.