Two days after the ruling BJP ally in Goa, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), expressed unhappiness over the functioning of the government, another coalition partner, the Goa Forward Party (GFP), has expressed willingness to "sacrifice" for the sulking ally.
The MGP, headed by Dipak Dhavalikar, said on Monday that they had got an unfair deal during the allocation of portfolios and corporations by the Manohar Parrikar-led state government when it was being formed. The party had said the Goa Forward Party had got a better deal.
Parrikar came to power in March this year after cobbling up a rainbow alliance comprising the MGP, GFP, and Independents, after his party failed to win the popular mandate in February polls and remained on second position after the Congress which had emerged as the single largest party.
The MGP has three MLAs in the 40-member House, two of whom are ministers in the Parrikar Cabinet. The party had also said it would adopt a "wait-and-watch" approach before deciding on the future course of action in the next six to eight months.
MGP General Secretary Lavu Mamlatdar had reportedly said that his party was given a step motherly treatment by the state government.
However, the GFP, led by state Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai, has come out in defence of the government, days after Dhavlikar said the ruling dispensation had "failed" in resolving the vexed issues of offshore casinos, drugs, unemployment and others.
"If MGP feels that they have got a raw deal, we are ready to sacrifice for them. GFP was instrumental in forming the government which is working within the limits of the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) worked out by the coalition partners. If MGP is not satisfied, then we are ready to sacrifice for them," Sardesai said.
All three MLAs of GFP--Sardesai, Vinod Palyekar, and Jayesh Salgaoncar--are ministers in the state government.
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