Contrary to his party's stand, a BJP MLA has paid former Goa governor B.V. Wanchoo glowing tributes, referring to him as "Ajatshatru" and calling him the best governor the state ever had.
This has come in a climate of acrimony against Wanchoo, a former Indian Police Service officer.
BJP MLA from St. Andre Vishnu Wagh, in his Facebook post, said: "Bharat Veer Wanchoo's exit as Governor is a great loss for Goa. He was by far the best guv we ever had. Always upright. Never played petty politics and upheld the dignity of his office in the most decent way."
Since the 2014 Lok Sabha election, Wanchoo was in the crosshairs of the BJP that had demanded his resignation "for his own good".
He eventually resigned July 4, immediately after a four-hour grilling by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials in connection with the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam.
Wanchoo was appointed Goa governor in May 2012, shortly after the Bharatiya Janata Party's thumping victory in the state assembly polls the same year.
There were no visible flashpoints between Wanchoo and Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar-led government since his appointment.
But, after the landslide victory of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2014 general elections, the state's top BJP leaders started demanding he step down.
This followed the CBI's insistence on questioning Wanchoo, a former head of the Special Protection Group which looks after the security of India's VIPs, in connection with the chopper scam.
"We are telling him for his own good... We have nothing personal against the governor, but when such controversies arise regarding their conduct, they should step aside because otherwise it casts a shadow over the dignity of the constitutional post," state BJP vice president Wilfred Mesquita had said last month.
Wagh, on the other hand, mourned Wanchoo's departure and called him "Ajatshatru", which means a person who can have no enemies.
"He had genuine concern for Goan people, their magnanimity and cultural ethos. His receptivity, vibrancy and courteous nature truly made him 'Ajatshatru', somebody who can have no enemies," Wagh said.
