Panaji:
The man in the eye of the political storm in Goa, Fransisco Mickey Pacheco has finally broken his silence. Reacting to the furore triggered by his proposed re-induction in the Cabinet, the controversial NCP legislator today said it's the prerogative of his party to make him a Minister and Congress should not interfere in it.
"It's a prerogative of the Chief Minister to induct any Minister if the Government is of single party. But here in Goa, we have a pre-poll alliance with the Congress and hence they should respect the views of NCP," Pacheco said.
The tainted MLA is in the news after a group of Congress legislators opposed his re-induction in the Cabinet on the ground that he was facing criminal cases. Congress General Secretary in-charge of Goa B K Hariprasad has said that the return of Pacheco would be problematic for the party, which is heading a coalition government.
Pacheco, who had maintained silence over the issue for nearly a fortnight, said he is surprised the way Congress legislators "ganged up" against him.
"They talk of a murder case against me. It's a fabricated case. The way everyone ganged up against me proves that they are afraid of my presence in the Cabinet," the former Tourism Minister said.
Pacheco stepped down in June after his name was embroiled in the controversy related to the death of his friend Nadia Torrado. The 46-year-old lawmaker said his re-induction has been decided by the NCP high command after much deliberation.
"I am thankful to NCP high command for selecting my name for Ministership," he said, adding Congress will have to respect NCP as the two political parties are allies.