Goa Forward Party (GFP) has withdrawn its support to the BJP-led government in the state. This comes a day after cabinet rejig and ahead of the monsoon session.
Panaji: A day after cabinet rejig, Goa Forward Party (GFP) has withdrawn support to the BJP-led government in the state.
In its letter 'withdrawal of support to the BJP government', GFP said, "Political Affairs committee and the legislature party wing of Goa Forward Party met today (14/7/2019) and has decided unanimously to withdraw support to the BJP government led by Pramod Sawant.
The move has come after 10 out of 3 Congress MLAs, who had recently joined the BJP, were sworn in as ministers in Goa government which led to the sacking of four ministers, including deputy chief minister Vijay Sardesai and an Independent to pave the way for the inclusion of Congress defectors into the Cabinet.
Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant, on Saturday, rubbished allegations of the Goa Forward Party (GFP) that the BJP has "cheated" its allies by dropping them from the Cabinet after inducting 10 MLAs of the Congress into the saffron party.
Earlier in the day, GFP president and outgoing deputy chief minister Vijai Sardesai alleged that the NDA has ditched its partners with whom it had formed a government in 2017.
Sardesai, along with the other two ministers of the GFP, and an Independent were dropped from the Cabinet ahead of the reshuffle which saw induction of new entrants Chandrakant Kavlekar, Jeniffer Monserratte and Philip Neri Rodrigues, all previously with Congress, and Michael Lobo of the BJP.
"We have not cheated anyone. We have taken the decision as per the directions of our Central leadership," Sawant told reporters after the swearing-in ceremony of four ministers.
The chief minister said he had approached the Central leadership with a factual position that the BJP enjoys full majority with 27 MLAs by its side in the House of 40.
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