Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, May 24: The coalition in Karnataka may have stirred ripples in Goa, with Manohar Parrikar government facing threats from its coalition partner as well as the opposition Congress.
Goa Forward leader Vijai Sardesai, alliance partner of the BJP in Goa is contemplating to withdraw support to the government.
Sardesai who holds the portfolio of town and agriculture minister in the Goa government said he is rethinking his decision of continuing in the coalition government and it depends on the mining crisis being resolved. He is also apprehensive of supporting BJP in the forthcoming Lok Sabha election, he told while addressing people of Mayem.
"If the BJP does not resume mining in Goa at the earliest, they will have trouble in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. I request them to resolve this crisis at the earliest... If they do not do so, we will rethink of our support," Sardesai said.
"One would have thought that after the debacle in Karnataka, the BJP would have acted quickly to solve the mining issue, but no steps are being taken towards that end, despite the fact that the the party is in power in Goa and at the Centre," he said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party currently has 14 MLAs in the 40-member Goa Legislative Assembly and is currently occupying the treasury benches with the help of three MLAs each from Goa Forward and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and three independent MLAs.
On March 15, the Supreme Court banned all mining activity, including transportation of iron ore, from Goa's 88 mining leases and directed the state government to re-issue the mining leases.
Mining was first banned in 2012 following a series of bans by the state government, central government and the Supreme Court following the revelation of a Rs 35,000 crore illegal mining ban unearthed by a judicial commission.
Meanwhile, Goa Congress claims that it is capable of uprooting the BJP government.
Congress spokesperson Sidhnath Buyao threw an open challenge to the government to convene the Assembly session and said they would topple Parrikar government.
It is also interesting to note that Congress’s Jana Gana Man had a meeting convened at Madgao on Thursday. Former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat spoke on how an anti-BJP front is being formed and the show of strength was seen at Karnataka CM H D Kumaraswamy’s swearing ceremony.