I am happy as speaker, says Tawadkar on cabinet buzz

Margao: Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar on Friday said he has so far done justice to the office he holds. He said he was content with it and that inducting him into the cabinet or otherwise was for the chief minister and party brass to decide.

“I made the best use of the speaker’s post… minister or no minister, it makes no difference to me. I have enough potential to work for the welfare of society,” he said.

Tawadkar dismissed suggestions that differences between him and minister Govind Gaude caused a rift in the tribal community. “There are differences in every community,” he said.

The Canacona MLA said he dissociated himself from the United Tribals Associations’ Alliance (UTAA), of which Gaude is a key functionary, after the infamous violent 2011 agitation at Balli. After the 2012 assembly polls, he became a part of govt. “They wanted to go the path of confrontations and agitations, while I, as tribal welfare minister, couldn’t agree to it, and we parted ways,” Tawadkar said, adding that he hasn’t been an active member of any tribal organisation since.

Tawadkar further said he hasn’t encountered any problem dealing with the tribal welfare department so far. His remarks came in the backdrop of speculations that a reshuffle of the cabinet was on the cards and that Gaude could be dropped to make way for Tawadkar.

Gaude on Sunday, while addressing a function at Ponda organised by the tribal welfare department, raised serious questions about administrative efficiency and transparency in the department, which is directly overseen by CM Pramod Sawant.