Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Thursday that it is his decision to remove Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude from the state cabinet. However, Sawant did not reveal the cause of this decision.
In a conversation with reporters outside the ‘Ministry’ (Secretariat of the State Government), Sawant currently denied the possibility of a cabinet reshuffle. Gaude was removed from the state cabinet on Wednesday.
Gowde accused the Tribal Welfare Department of corruption about a month ago, which is in charge of Sawant. When asked about the removal of Gaude from the state cabinet, the Chief Minister said, “This was my decision.”
Asked if there is a possibility of reshuffle in the cabinet, he said, “Nothing yet.” Sawant said that whenever there is a change in the cabinet, he will inform the media about this.
Gaude, while addressing a state -level function on May 26, termed the state’s tribal welfare department disabled and claimed that its officials were taking bribe to sign the files.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongly criticized Gaude’s statement and warned him of action. On the basis of Gaude’s claims, Congress has given Governor P.S. Sreedharan had demanded Pillai to sack the state government for ‘comprehensive corruption’.
Tribal leader Gowde (53) is a BJP MLA from Priyol in North Goa. He was sworn in as a minister in March 2022 after the BJP won the state assembly elections. Gaude was also a minister in Sawant -led government from 2019 to 2022.