PANJIM: While the BJP State president Sadanand Shet Tanavade may have publicly put a lid on the allegations levelled against the Art and Culture minister of siphoning funds to cultural groups for performances which did not take place, there is deeper and more serious political fallout, raging within the party.
In the closed-door meeting between the Chief Minister, Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar and the centre of the controversy the Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude, it was the BJP State president who pushed for disciplinary action against the controversial Govind Gaude.
BACKSTORY
There is a back story behind the rivalry and ego battle between two leaders of the tribal community, which has spilled into the open and involves, in addition to the corruption charge, a conversation between Gaude and the head of the ST and ST Commission of Goa Dashrath Redkar, where the former is heard openly using filthy language directed at Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. This if course is according to the phone recording that has been shared or leaked by Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar. Though its authenticity hasn’t been scientifically verified, Govind Gaude has not denied having had that very conversation, even after the clips have gone viral on every social and regular media platform
When the audio clip was played at the meeting of the CM, Tanavade, Gaude and Tawadkar, on Monday, the BJP president Tanavade is reported to have told Govind Gaude, “If you have the guts, resign from BJP and contest in Priol on any other ticket (and see if you can win).
Besides the slurs hurled at the Chief Minister, the issue has also assumed very serious proportions because in that audio clip, minister Gaude is heard telling the Director of the Tribal Welfare Department that he would go to Ramesh Tawadkar’s office and “slash him”. The context of this conversation is as follows:
This incident happened on December 20, 2023, on the eve of a programme organised by the Goa Tribal Welfare Department.
An NGO, Socially Engaged Volunteers Association’ (SEVA), had sought financial assistance from the Goa Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to carry out an "awareness programme" in the Priol constituency. However the MLA Govind Gaude, also the Art and Culture minister was “bypassed” and not invited to the function which was supposed to be graced by the Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant and Goa Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar, who also happens to be the Chairperson of the SC and ST Commission of Goa
On the eve of the function Gaude, as per the audio clip, called Dashrath Redkar, the Director Tribal Welfare Department and unleashed a mouthful asking him to immediately cancel the programme since he, (Gaude) and the local sarpanch was not invited. The Minister also told Redkar not to release any financial assistance to SEVA.
Gaude was purportedly heard in the viral clip “I am telling you directly, you are organising a programme in my constituency and I along with Sarpanch have not been invited. Do you want me to teach you politics? Tell the Chief Minister and Ramesh Tawadkar (Speaker) in the same tone, the programme should not happen”. He also purportedly laced this conversion with expletives against the Chief Minister
Going further Gaude is heard in the clip purportedly telling Redkar, “Speak to the Chairperson (of SC&ST Commission) - Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar and tell him that I will slash him by coming to his office…”
While the issue was sought to be protected from the public eye by Tanavade mentioning that the matter has been resolved, the undercurrents of anger are clear and were born out of Gaude’s remarks to reporters, where he said he was “getting warmed up for batting”.
Certainly, the issue is not going to die down anytime soon, even beyond the need for a probe of misusing funds of the Art and Culture department to fund some cultural groups.