Congress hints at rift in GFP, says Vijay Sardesai had agreed to drop Vinod Palyekar for 'more portfolios'; party chief denies claims

Panaji: The Congress claimed Saturday that Goa Forward Party leader Vijay Sardesai had offered to remove his party colleague Vinod Palyekar from the Goa cabinet in return for more portfolios for himself. [caption id=“attachment_5333211” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Vijay Sardesai. ANI[/caption] Sardesai, who is the Agriculture Minister in the Manohar Parrikar-led cabinet, denied this, calling it another attempt to destabilise the government. Congress’s Goa spokesperson Amarnath Panjikar claimed in a press conference that during a recent meeting with Parrikar in Delhi, Sardesai said his party would accept dropping of Palyekar if Sardesai was given more departments. Parrikar is being treated for a pancreatic ailment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi. Sardesai dismissed the claim. “With their senior leaders like Luizinho Faleiro being busy elsewhere, these kids, whom the operation to destabilise the government has been outsourced, are exposing the Congress’s intellectual level,” Sardesai said. Palyekar too issued a statement, condemning Panjikar’s claim and saying that Sardesai was not like Congress leaders who “sell the party tickets”.