Congress 'lauds' Goa CM for not falling to blackmail from cabinet colleagues

Panaji: In a sarcastic tweet, Goa Congress spokesperson Trajano D'Mello on Sunday backed Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for not falling to "blackmail" from his cabinet colleagues over the allotment of portfolios in the recent round of allocation of ministries.

In his tweet, D'Mello said: "It is appreciable that the CM has shown that no blackmail would be tolerated by being firm on the distribution of portfolios. These were the same blackmailers who opposed him to be the CM allowing the state administration to be run from ICU. It is time for the CM to deliver."

There was considerable resentment last week when Sawant distributed additional portfolios to his cabinet colleagues, with some ministers from the ruling BJP and coalition allies complaining about the Chief Minister not taking them into confidence before deciding on the allotment of portfolios.

D'Mello's reference to blackmailers could refer to those ministers who were opposing Sawant's candidature as Chief Minister at a time when incumbent CM Manohar Parrikar was running the state from a makeshift intensive care unit (ICU) set up at his private residence near Panaji.

Sawant was sworn-in as the Chief Minister after Parrikar passed away in March this year following a prolonged battle with pancreatic cancer.