Following the "verbal attack" on its Minister Ramkrishna Dhavlikar from Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude at Thursday's Cabinet meeting, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) on Friday evening gave an ultimatum to Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to drop Mr. Gaude from the Cabinet.
Mr. Narayan Sawant, working president of MGP, a major alliance partner of the BJP-led coalition government said that the party had taken very serious note of the , “verbal abuse, threats given and menacingly rushing to attack our senior leader and Minister for Public Works Dhavlikar by Mr. Gaude at the Thursday's Cabinet meeting.”
The MGP leader said that the quarrel took place in front of Ministers and the Chief Minister over developmental works in Priol constituency where Mr. Gaude has been elected as an independent. An angry Mr. Gaude warned Mr. Dhavlikar not to interfere in his constituency, Mr. Sawant said and added that Mr. Dhavlikar did not react.
Significantly, Mr. Gaude got elected in 2017 from the constituency by defeating younger sibling of Minister Dhavlikar, Dipak who is president of MGP.
When contacted, Mr. Gaude confirmed the incident but declined to reveal further.
Taking a dig at the BJP-led government led by Mr. Parrikar, Congress spokesperson Sunil Kavthankar on Friday advised Chief Minister Parrikar to hire bouncers and post them at his Cabinet meetings. Mr. Kavthankar also alleged that casteist abuses were hurled at the Cabinet meeting.
Sources close to MGP said that at the Cabinet meeting on Thursday, ailing Chief Minister Parrikar was forced to intervene to calm down the two Ministers.
