Michael Lobo resigned because BJP was not likely to give him Calangute ticket: Sadanand Shet Tanavade

PANAJI: Opening up a can of worms, Bharatiya Janta Party – Goa Pradesh President, Sadanand Shet Tanavade took to Twitter to hint that today’s ‘resignations are due to personal reasons where they (the candidates) are either unlikely to get the ticket’.

Without mentioning any names, Tanavade directly hinted at former Minister and Calangute MLA Michael Lobo who resigned from the party and as a Cabinet Minister today.

Tanavade told a select group of news persons that the party was ‘watching’ Lobo for the last one year and knew that he was quitting the party. “We knew his intentions, but we didn’t say a word. Time and again, senior leaders counselled him, but then he is not a small boy. We gave him space, but we were prepared and have a Plan B in place,” Tanavade hinted, adding that the BJP made him (Michael Lobo) a Cabinet Minister, but “he is selfish and only concerned about his personal benefits.” Such a person cannot be loyal to anyone, the BJP party chief said.

@BJP4Goa was fully aware of this possibility & has an alternate plan in place. Come February 2022, With the blessings of people of #Goa, #BJP will form the Govt on its own with 22+ seats, Tanavade tweeted.

The Goa BJP President also hinted that the party high command will take appropriate action and acts of treachery and betrayal will not go unpunished.

Without giving much importance to BJP leader Michael Lobo’s decision to quit the party, Tanavade said (earlier in the day), he was waiting for Lobo to leave so that the party could continue its work with a new team.

“We already knew that Michael Lobo would leave the party, so there is no shock for us or the party. It was good that he left BJP now. Michael had left us long back, he was only present physically, hence we don’t treat his exit as a setback,” said Tanavade, adding that Lobo was not likely to get the BJP ticket this time for his indiscipline and for working against the party.

Even during the 2019 by-polls there were accusations against Lobo of working against the party and party candidates, but we ignored all that, he said.

Tanavade further said that Lobo was interfering a lot in Saligao, Mapusa and Siolim areas and expressed confidence the BJP will win both the seats in Siolim and Calangute.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant claimed a “few defections cannot deter our agenda of Good Governance”.

“Bharatiya Janata Party is a big family that continues to serve the motherland with full devotion! A few defections, to fulfil the agenda of greed and personal interests cannot deter our agenda of Good Governance.

Goan people have seen BJP’s governance and development model for a decade and I am sure that they will give us another term in their service. Jai Hind, Jai Goa,” Sawant tweeted.

Lobo, meanwhile said the BJP was no longer a people’s party and that the BJP had changed after Parrikar’s death (former Goa CM Manohar Parrikar). The party does not listen to its karyakartas. Loyal party workers are sidelined. The BJP is importing MLAs and leaders from other parties and forcing them upon the people and party workers who have been with the party for decades, Lobo stated.