Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: BJP Goa president Damu Naik said the party has asked MLA Michael Lobo and former tourism minister Dilip Parulekar to explain their recent comments alleging corruption along the coastal belt, made in the aftermath of the Arpora nightclub fire that claimed 25 lives. Naik indicated that disciplinary action would follow once their responses are received.
Lobo and Parulekar had publicly accused authorities of allowing widespread irregularities in the tourism sector, linking them indirectly to the conditions that enabled Saturday night’s deadly blaze. Their remarks triggered internal concern within the BJP.
“I have heard what both of them said. We have sought clarifications for making such statements,” Naik said.
He was speaking at a press briefing where he formally announced the BJP’s alliance with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) for the December 20 Zilla Panchayat polls. Under the arrangement, the BJP has allotted three of the 50 seats to the MGP.
Naik stressed that the party would not tolerate indiscipline. “The party cannot be taken for granted. We are a political organisation, and everyone has to work within the framework,” he said.
Responding to AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal’s charge that the BJP is steeped in corruption, Naik countered by questioning Kejriwal’s own credibility. “Let him explain why he was removed from Delhi. He spoke of good governance,” he said, adding that Kejriwal may have travelled to Goa only to “assess the possibility of another excise scam.”
Naik reiterated that once Lobo and Parulekar submit their explanations, the party will decide the next steps.
