In his first reaction to the controversy surrounding the transfer of Governor Satya Pal Malik from Goa to Meghalaya, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said he had an excellent rapport with Malik when he was the governor of Goa, and that some people are purposely trying to create a rift between them.
Said Sawant to THE WEEK, "I shared a good relationship with the former governor of Goa [Malik]. We never had any problems working with each other. It was a normal transfer that the governors in states are subjected to once in a while. Neither my government nor I have anything to do with it. It is wrong to think like that."
On August 18, President Ram Nath Kovind, on the advice of the Union government, transferred Malik, who was the governor of Goa, to Meghalaya as its 21st governor. Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari was asked to discharge the duties of the governor of Goa for now.
Malik was governor of Jammu and Kashmir, from August 2018 to October 2019, when Parliament passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, bifurcating the state into two separate Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Later, in October 2019, he took charge as the governor of Goa.
For the past few months, there have been reports of differences cropping up between Malik and Sawant. Malik had publicly criticised the state government's decision to build a new Raj Bhavan in Panaji during the pandemic. This, when money is to be used wisely.
Malik also accused Sawant of creating a wrong notion that the governor was happy with the state government's handling of the pandemic.
Unperturbed, Sawant said the government would document the steps it had taken to tackle COVID-19 in the state, as a ready reference for any future health emergency.
Last month, the Goa government had announced rapid antigen tests for all domestic tourists arriving in the state.
Said Sawant, "We want tourists to come to Goa, but they should cooperate with us and follow the necessary protocol. Our government is fully committed in providing the best health care facilities to the people of Goa. We are setting up a new dedicated COVID-19 hospital in the state [in Ponda, south Goa]. We have all proper mechanisms in place in dealing with COVID-19 patients even at the taluka level. Everyone should support the authorities in fighting the pandemic, and not politicise issues."
Goa has recorded more than 13,000 COVID-19 positive cases till date, of which close to 10,000 people have recovered.
Digambar Kamat, the former chief minister and the current opposition leader in Goa, said the government could have done much more in handling COVID-19 in the state.
Said Kamat to THE WEEK, "In the initial few months, say from March to June, Goa stood out for containing COVID-19 effectively. But, today, on an average, we have around 500 cases a day in the state, which is worrying." He said he was not surprised at Malik being removed from the post of the governor in the state. Said Kamat, "These things are decided by the Union government. So it is their prerogative on which governor stays where."
