Upset Parsekar sees conspiracy, says keeping all options open

  • | Wednesday | 17th October, 2018

“This is a conspiracy of some party leaders,” the former Mandrem MLA said.Parsekar had lost the 2017 assembly polls to Sopte by more than 7,000 votes. We have to see what the people of Mandrem do now, he said.“Chief minister Manohar Parrikar and BJP state president Vinay Tendulkar should have shown maturity and accepted defeat in the 2017 assembly elections,” Parsekar said. “How will Sopte now answer those very people and parties who got him elected?”Sopte’s joining the BJP is viewed as a ‘ghar wapsi’. “Let the elections be announced first,” he said. “That is between me and party,” he said.

PANAJI: Lashing out at the state BJP leadership over the induction of Congress Mandrem MLA Dayanand Sopte into the party fold, former chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar , expressing his disgruntlement over the move, said, “All options are open to me”.Parsekar told TOI that either the BJP state legislature did not brief the party central leadership correctly about Sopte’s induction or else they informed them that he (Parsekar) is not interested in contesting assembly elections. “This is a conspiracy of some party leaders,” the former Mandrem MLA said.Parsekar had lost the 2017 assembly polls to Sopte by more than 7,000 votes. This had earned Sopte the moniker giant killer.In view of the present political situation, the two Congress MLAs — Sopte and Subhash Shirodkar representing Shiroda — shifting allegiance to BJP comes in a bid to increase the party’s strength in the assembly.He, however, declined to comment on whether the party had taken him into confidence. “That is between me and party,” he said. “But I am not satisfied with the party’s attitude. In one eye I have tears, but in the other there is happiness as the Mandrem MLA has resigned.”The happiness is because Sopte’s resignation has opened the field, the former chief minister said, adding that the tears were because “we slogged for the party for 30 years without any expectation and the same party did not handle the issue in a proper manner”.In winning against me in Mandrem, Sopte had got the people’s mandate for a five-year tenure, Parsekar said, adding that Sopte would now have to “answer to the Mandrekars”. “I will be happy to see him tender his resignation as MLA within one-and-a-half year, because with it he has reduced his tenure.”Parsekar said that during the 2017 assembly polls “all parties came together to back Sopte against him, the then sitting chief minister” in his constituency “to ensure his defeat”. “How will Sopte now answer those very people and parties who got him elected?”Sopte’s joining the BJP is viewed as a ‘ghar wapsi’. A BJP loyalist and staunch RSS supporter, the former Pernem MLA had joined the Congress to contest elections after the delimitation of constituencies in 2011.Parsekar, a veteran BJP leader and party loyalist, said, “We never dreamt of changing our party. From day one, Sopte was trying to change parties,” he said, adding that for nearly eight of the 10 years that he has been MLA, he was in the opposition.Questioned about his future course of action, Parsekar said he will keep his cards close to his chest. “Let the elections be announced first,” he said. We have to see what the people of Mandrem do now, he said.“Chief minister Manohar Parrikar and BJP state president Vinay Tendulkar should have shown maturity and accepted defeat in the 2017 assembly elections,” Parsekar said.

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