After 10 Congress MLAs from Goa joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, Utpal Parrikar, the son of late Manohar Parrikar, said on Wednesday that the path of trust established by the Parrikar-led BJP in the state ended with his father's demise.
According to IANS, Utpal said that he was ready to take the lead to help re-establish the philosophy of trust among the party's committed cadre. "I am willing to do it. There will be repercussions, but I am willing to face them," he said.
Utpal was a BJP contender for assembly by-election in Goa, after his father's death, but the party decided to not field him. The election was eventually won by Congress' Atanasio Monserratte. Monserratte was amongst the ten who joined the BJP on Wednesday.
"The path of trust which Parrikar established in his politics ended on March 17," said Utpal, while reacting to the BJP's decision to induct the MLAs.
10 of the 17 Congress MLAs in Goa, led by Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar, quit the party and defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday. Since the 2017 state Assembly elections, 13 Congress MLAs have switched over to the BJP, whose strength has increased from 13 to 27.
