Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira on Wednesday resigned from the Goa cabinet, citing personal reasons, paving the way for a cabinet reshuffle in the state. In a letter addressed to Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Sequeira, who was also holding Law and Judiciary, Legislative Affairs and Captain of Ports portfolios, said he was “compelled” to take the decision to resign from the Council of Ministers due to “personal reasons”. Two new Ministers – Ramesh Tawadkar and former chief minister Digambar Kamat – will be inducted in the Sawant-led cabinet, and the swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to be held at the Raj Bhavan at noon on Thursday. At a press conference at the Secretariat, Sequeira said, “I am not giving (the resignation) on health grounds because I believe I have improved drastically. I am resigning due to personal reasons. I think I will be relieved of a lot of responsibilities that I had taken on my shoulders. I have no issues with the party. I will continue to be a member of the BJP. I was toying with the idea (of resigning) for some time. I received whole-hearted support of the CM in my tenure.” Sequeira denied he was under any pressure to quit. On whether a Catholic legislator will replace him in the cabinet, he said, “I do not know. This is a question that you should pose to the chief minister.” In his resignation letter, Sequeira thanked Sawant “for giving me the opportunity to serve under your leadership.” Sequeira’s exit leaves two cabinet berths vacant. The first fell vacant after former Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude, a tribal leader, was dropped from the cabinet in June after he levelled corruption allegations in the department of Tribal Welfare – a portfolio held by Sawant. Senior BJP tribal leader Ramesh Tawadkar, the Speaker of the Goa legislative assembly, confirmed that he would be inducted into the cabinet. Tawadkar, who represents Canacona constituency, said he will resign from the Speaker’s post on Thursday, and thereafter he will be sworn in as a minister. “I wanted to continue as the Speaker, but the party has decided to give me this responsibility. The party organ-Your data has been truncated.
