Marcel: From taking credit for stopping Sudin Dhavalikar from becoming Chief Minister after Manohar Parrikar, to the phone call he received on June 18, Priol MLA Govind Gaude left little to the imagination in his hour-long fiery speech on Sunday.
Narrating anecdotes after anecdotes about his political journey right from the time when he got elected as an Independent candidate to his decision to join BJP and even till June 18 when he was sacked from the cabinet, Gaude said that it was Manohar Parrikar who persuaded him to join the saffron outfit.
Speaking about the 2017 elections, he recalled a famous picture of his along with Parrikar at a tea stall near Devkikrishna Temple at Marcel. “When Parrikar met me, I told him that if you want to support me, you can do it,” he said. Gaude was then elected as an Independent candidate and went on to support BJP-led government.
Cut to the year 2019, Gaude quoted a book on Manohar Parrikar which had clearly mentioned that when then CM was ailing and admitted in a hospital at Candolim, he called Gaude and informed that he would ask Sudin Dhavalikar to take over the government.
“At that time, I suggested that Dr Pramod Sawant should be the next chief minister. If I had not to oppose the move that time, someone else would have been the chief minister now,” the Tribal leader said.
In the year 2022, when Gaude joined BJP, he said that he was the only leader who entered the party without meeting central leadership. “That was because I had trust in the state leadership,” he said.
Gaude said that even three and half years after he joined the BJP, he was not allowed to meet the party high command.
Referring to June 18, he said that he received call from the chief minister at 4.45 pm asking him to resign over the controversy. “I said why should I resign.I had spoken for the people, you all should take action. But CM told me that there is a pressure from JP Nadda,” he said.
“But later, the chief minister said that it was his decision to sack me from the cabinet,” he said.
