No political instability in Goa, to wait for CM's return: MGP

The MGP, a key member of the BJP- led ruling coalition in Goa, today said the state does not face any political instability in the absence of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and it will wait for his return from the US where he has gone for medical treatment.

Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) president Dipak Dhavalikar said Union Minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari, during his recent Goa visit, assured that Parrikar would be back home within the next two months.

"Gadkari has told us Parrikar will be back in the next two months after which he will take the charge of the state. He (Gadkari) has said all the coalition partners should remain united and show patience," Dhavalikar told reporters.

The MGP leader rejected suggestions of any political instability in the coastal state in Parrikar's absence.

The 62-year-old chief minister is suffering from a pancreatic ailment and is undergoing treatment at a hospital in the USA, where he was admitted in the first week of March.

"There is no political instability. We have decided that we will wait (for Parrikar's return). Everyone has made sacrifices to form this government and they should not go waste," Dhavalikar said.

A three-member Cabinet Advisory Committee (CAC) has been constituted to handle the day-to-day affairs of the government in Parrikar's absence.

The committee is capable enough to run the state's administration, the MGP leader said.

The regional outfit has three MLAs and two of them are ministers in the Parrikar Cabinet.

Responding to a question, Dhavalikar said his party is strengthening its base across the state and is eyeing 21 seats in the next Assembly elections.

The tourist state, which has a 40-member Assembly, faced elections last year.

The MGP, the oldest regional party in Goa, is already present in 27 Assembly segments and is planning to establish footprints in the remaining 13 constituencies in the near future, Dhavalikar maintained.

The party wants to form government in Goa on its own strength after the next assembly polls, he added.