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India Today
a day ago
- Politics
- India Today
What minister Gaude's sacking says about the Goa BJP
Almost a month after he alleged corruption in the tribal welfare department helmed by chief minister Dr Pramod Sawant, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dropped minister Govind Gaude from the Goa cabinet. In the evening of June 18, Goa Governor P.S. Sreedharan Pillai accepted Sawant's recommendation to remove Gaude, a two-term MLA from Priol belonging to the Hindu Gauda scheduled tribe (ST) community, from the council of at a 'Prerana Din' event at Ponda on May 25, Gaude, who held charge of the art and culture department, lashed out at the Sawant-led tribal welfare department that had organised the event along with the United Tribal Association Alliance. Gaude alleged contractors were asked to pay slush money, and that tax-payers' money was not being utilised efficiently. The statement came as a major embarrassment to Sawant and his government. The visibly upset CM promised 'appropriate action' against Gaude. 'Responsible ministers must make responsible statements,' Sawant his part, Gaude has dug his heels in and indicated he is prepared for the long haul. 'I have been rewarded this fate on the Goa Revolution Day for standing up for the downtrodden communities. Gratitude to my Government and Party for liberating me to continue the struggle that I voiced for,' he tweeted on micro-blogging site X (formerly Twitter).On June 19, Sawant told reporters it was his decision to drop Gaude from the cabinet. Damodar 'Damu' Naik, the state BJP president, said it was the CM's prerogative to decide on inducting or dropping ministers. The opposition claims Gaude was scapegoated for speaking out against corruption in the government. Leader of opposition and Congress leader Yuri Alemao says the BJP was 'intolerant of those who expose corruption'. Multiple ministers are facing charges of malfeasance but action was taken against Gaude instead. The people of Goa will send these people packing in the 2027 assembly election, Alemao In March, former minister and senior BJP leader Pandurang Madkaikar had claimed ministers were 'busy counting money' and 'looting' Goa. Shockingly, Madkaikar said he had paid Rs 15-20 lakh to a minister to get his work done. Following the statement, a north Goa court earlier this month ordered an FIR to be registered. Madkaikar, a former four-term MLA from Cumbarjua, also belongs to Gaude's Hindu Gauda ST Gaude, too, came under fire for technical glitches and allegations of corruption in the renovation of the Kala Academy, Goa, which was established in 1970 as an apex body to develop music, dance, drama and fine arts. He also found himself in the eye of a controversy after he was heard allegedly abusing and threatening a government officer in a purported audio clip of him that made the rounds last 2017, Gaude won as an independent after defeating Pandurang 'Deepak' Dhavalikar of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP). He joined the BJP and retained his seat in 2022. Deepak's elder brother, Ramakrishna 'Sudin' Dhavalikar, is power minister in the Sawant cabinet, and Gaude has a bristling relationship with the Dhavalikar is the second minister to be dropped from Sawant's cabinet. In November 2023, public works department (PWD) minister Nilesh Cabral had resigned to facilitate the induction of Aleixo Sequeira as minister for environment. Gaude's axing has led to speculation about a larger reshuffle in the ranks. Straws in the wind indicate former CM Digambar Kamat may make a comeback. The name of Calangute MLA Michael Lobo is also doing the rounds as a possible inductee after Sawant showered lavish praise on him in public. However, the CM has indicated a reshuffle is not on the cards in the immediate likely names from the tribal community who may replace Gaude are speaker Ramesh Tawadkar and Sanvordem MLA Ganesh Gaonkar, who defeated former minister Deepak Prabhu Pauskar. Tawadkar and Gaude are said to be at odds over emerging as tribal leaders in the state. Tawadkar had organised a rally named after Birsa Munda, and Gaude had questioned the utility of this campaign in his speech, which eventually led to him getting the marching orders. While Tawadkar is said to be close to Sawant, Gaude is reported to be close to his challenger Vishwajit Rane, the health minister. The son of former CM and Congress veteran Pratapsingh Raoji Rane, Vishwajit quit the Congress and joined the BJP in 2017 and was re-elected from his Valpoi constituency in north Ranes come from a prominent Kshatriya Maratha feudal family with its base in Sattari, and Rane senior has been the longest-serving CM of Goa. He was also the speaker of the Goa assembly. Vishwajit is said to be eager to occupy the chair his father once sat 2022, the BJP managed to retain power in Goa with 20 of 40 seats, largely due to the anti-incumbency vote being fractured by newer players like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC). The Congress could win just 11 seats, and just months later, Kamat, then leader of opposition Lobo and six other MLAs defected to join the an internal churn in the BJP and the Congress retaining the South Goa Lok Sabha seat has indicated that all is not well in the ruling to India Today MagazineMust Watch
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Minister who claimed corruption in department under Goa CM Sawant sacked
Goa CM Pramod Sawant dropped controversial art and culture minister Govind Gaude Goa CM Pramod Sawant dropped controversial art and culture minister Govind Gaude from his cabinet on Wednesday. Sawant had decided nearly three weeks ago to drop Gaude after the minister made serious allegations of corruption in the tribal welfare department, which is under the CM. However, Gaude's removal was delayed as Sawant was awaiting clearance from Delhi, reports Murari Shetye. TOI was the first to report on May 31 that Gaude would be dropped from the cabinet. Sawant has not yet decided whether he will immediately induct a new minister into his cabinet or wait until the end of the Goa assembly's monsoon session, which is to begin July 22. In his statement on social media platforms, Gaude said: "There can be no greater honour than to be recognised on Goa Revolution Day for standing with the weak and oppressed. I am grateful to govt and the party for liberating me to give voice to the struggle - the very cause for which govt has taken this stance. When faced with the choice between power and truth, I will always choose truth."
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Minister: Govt panel to solve pvt heritage property issues
Margao: Archives and archaeology minister Subhash Phal Dessai said on Wednesday that govt will establish a committee to address concerns of private homeowners desirous of availing benefits from state's heritage conservation policy. Phal Dessai stated that while govt remains committed to preserving heritage structures—including privately-owned historic homes—the new committee will work to resolve issues with property owners and create mutually beneficial solutions under the state's heritage framework. 'Conservation of heritage houses in private properties will be undertaken by govt only upon the owners' consent. The committee will hold consultations with the owners and thrash out issues if any,' Phal Dessai told reporters on the sidelines of a function held to commemorate Goa Revolution Day at Lohia Maidan, Margao. Phal Dessai made this statement when it was brought to his notice the need for conservation of Francisco Luis Gomes' house, and the demand for converting the house of Juliao Menezes at Assolna into a museum. While Gomes raised his voice for Goa's Liberation in the Portuguese parliament much before Goa's Liberation movement started, Menezes hosted Lohia in his Assolna house. Govt recently approved the Goa state heritage policy, which is a comprehensive guide aimed at conserving, protecting, and promoting Goa's unique cultural, historical, and natural heritage. Phal Dessai said that while heritage structures in existence for 100 years are covered under the department of archaeology's conservation mandate, those less than 100 years enjoy protection under the state's heritage policy. Earlier, addressing the gathering for the Goa Revolution Day celebration, Phal Dessai revealed plans of govt to produce an animation web series on the Goa Liberation movement and its protagonists.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Liberated for choosing truth over power: Govind Gaude
Margao: Former art and culture minister Govind Gaude issued a defiant statement following his ouster from chief minister Pramod Sawant 's cabinet on Wednesday. Gaude said he would always choose 'truth over power' and termed his removal as a 'liberation' to voice the struggles of the oppressed. In his statement on social media platforms, Gaude said: 'There can be no greater honour than to be recognised on Goa Revolution Day for standing with the weak and oppressed. I am grateful to govt and the party for liberating me to give voice to the struggle — the very cause for which govt has taken this stance. When faced with the choice between power and truth, I will always choose truth.' Gaude's removal from the cabinet stemmed directly from his attack on the tribal welfare department during a Prerna Din function on May 25, where he launched a scathing criticism of the department's administrative efficiency and transparency, and veiled allegations of corruption. The department is under CM Sawant. Political observers said by terming his dismissal as 'liberation', Gaude has signalled his intention to continue to champion the cause of the tribals despite losing his ministerial position.
NDTV
4 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
"A Reward": Minister Govind Gaude Dropped From Goa Cabinet Weeks After Corruption Remarks
Panaji: Goa Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude was on Wednesday dropped from the state cabinet, almost a month after he alleged corruption in the tribal welfare department headed by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. Govind Gaude called the decision a "reward" for him on Goa Revolution Day, which is celebrated on June 18 every year. BJP Goa unit president Damodar Naik confirmed to PTI that Gaude was removed from the council of ministers. State Under Secretary (General Administration) Shreyas D'Silva said that the Governor of Goa had accepted the recommendation by the CM, following which Gaude ceased to be a member of the council of ministers with immediate effect. Naik, however, didn't mention the official reason for sacking the minister. "This is a decision of the state government," he said without elaborating. CM Sawant was not available for comments. Reacting to the development, Gaude tweeted, "I have been rewarded this fate on the Goa Revolution Day for standing up for the downtrodden communities. Gratitude to my government and the party for liberating me to continue the struggle that I voiced for." Addressing a state-level function on May 26, Gaude had dubbed the state tribal welfare department inefficient and claimed its officers were taking bribes to sign files, drawing a sharp reaction from the BJP, which warned of action. Latching on to Gaude's claims, Congress had demanded that Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai sack the state government for "rampant corruption". The 53-year-old MLA from the Priol assembly segment in North Goa took oath in March 2022, after the BJP won the state elections. Gaude had also served as a minister in the Sawant-led cabinet from 2019 to 22.
