Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday stripped outspoken Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Vishnu Wagh of his positions as chairman of Kala Academy and vice-chairman of Entertainment Society of Goa, both State-owned organisations.
Mr. Wagh had joined an agitation of students protesting against the BJP government's recently released policy to continue grants to diocesan English medium primary schools and had publicly dared the party to act against him. He has been also writing a column of satirical verses in a local daily for quite sometime brazenly criticising and ridiculing the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
A writer and artist, Mr. Wagh, a former Congressman who had joined BJP ahead of the State Assembly polls in March 2012, is considered forerunner for the Congress-NCP alliance ticket for north Goa parliamentary constituency.
Mr. Wagh has been publicly daring the BJP to expel him in a bid to become an unattached MLA before he can pursue his political ambition of contesting the parliamentary election on a Congress ticket. Congress party Goa president has already admitted that Mr. Wagh is on their list.
Mr. Wagh, who initially nursed a grievance that he was not considered for a cabinet berth, later became more rebellious after he was attacked by party workers from Thivim constituency in north Goa and the State government did not act despite him naming the attackers as some activists linked with BJP MLA Kiran
Kandolkar.
Mr. Wagh is known for party-hopping, having travelled from local MGP, Shiv Sena and Congress before joining BJP. Mr. Wagh was not available for comment.
