Annoyed over his removal from the state cabinet, senior leader and Mapusa MLA Francis D’Souza said that the plan was hatched a year ago when he was demoted from number 2 to number 4 position in the state cabinet. He also sarcastically said that this is a reward which he has got for loyalty to the party for the last twenty years. D’Souza, who is undergoing treatment in the United States and is expected to return back in mid-October.
On Monday, Francis D’Souza and Pandurang Madkaikar, who were holding portfolios of Urban Development and Power Ministry respectively, were dropped from the state Cabinet on health grounds. The five-time Mapusa MLA Francis said, “I was not formally informed about my removal nor was I consulted.”