Licks for Bharath, Govt on UNC virtual platform

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Licks for United National Congress leadership challenger Vasant Bharath and for Government on the Patriotic Energies Petrotrin refinery bid issue.

This from UNC speakers, including leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, during the party’s Monday Night Virtual Report meeting last night.

“Vasant will get his licking in due course on December 6! Do not fear,” Persad-Bissessar told supporters.

David Lee meanwhile warned supporters not to let those “like Bharath hit at the UNC.”

Saying Bharath chose to join the People’s National Movement’s Roadmap Recovery team, Lee condemned Bharath’s complaints about party structures.

Lee said when the UNC lost 2015 elections, Persad-Bissessar invited Bharath to be an Opposition Senator. He said Bharath that year challenged her for leadership and lost and she reinvited him to be a senator but he declined.

“I hope you know what kind of individual Mr Vasant Bharath is,” he said.

MP Michelle Benjamin accused Bharath of campaigning against her in the recent General Election, where she said he supported PNM’s Winston “Gypsy” Peters.

“This disloyalty and disrespect shows the true nature of Vasant Bharath,” Benjamin said.

Anil Roberts also heaped scorn on Bharath.

Persad-Bissessar meanwhile said the Government took less than 48 hours to examine Patriotic’s complicated document in its bid for the refinery and rejected it.

“Mr Roget – I wonder whose mannequin he’s traipsing up and down T&T with … at least mine was a good looking one,” she said.

“They deceived Petrotrin, the workers, the union and the country,” she added, slamming Government’s moves on the issue.

Lee said the closure of Petrotrin and the Patriotic issue was a betrayal. He said the UNC had raised concerns and questions about the Patriotic plan but noted the sale was simply a smokescreen and deception to win votes.

He questioned why Finance Minister Colm Imbert had offered Patriotic a three-year moratorium on payment yet Government was now saying there were issues with the purchase sale pricing.

Roberts also raised questions, attempting to connect dots on the matter, including reviving the issue of the alleged oil shipment to Venezuela and Venezuelan Vice-president Delcy Rodriguez’s visit to T&T.

Persad-Bissessar also called on Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi to give rental relief to Government – for renting properties he’s allegedly affiliated to – so the money can be better used.

She claimed that in addition to an Alexandra Street property, he recused himself from Cabinet meetings on six other properties in Woodbrook, Shorelands, St Clair, Orange Grove and Barataria over 2017 and 2018. She questioned how much rent was being paid on these to him and his family, length of leases and if he recused himself from Cabinet meetings because there was a conflict of interest. She claimed some were not occupied yet rent was being paid.