MARGAO
Asserting that the Congress is committed to addressing the issue of unemployment and protecting Goa’s environment, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday assured the people of Goa on the eve of the ensuing polls his party’s government would set up IT and knowledge hubs to generate jobs and solve the burning issue of unemployment.
He said the Congress would restart sustainable and manageable mining in the state to generate employment. He expressed the party’s resolve to revise controversial projects foisted on the people of Goa by the Centre, saying the incumbent BJP government has failed to listen to the voice of the people.
Rahul Gandhi also took potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying the latter should explain to the people what the BJP has done on the employment front, on the issue of protecting the environment and rejuvenating the tourism industry. He said the BJP’s manifesto is completely silent on environment and employment.
Addressing the media here on Friday noon before kick-starting his campaign in South Goa, Gandhi said the Congress will never allow Goa to become a coal hub, saying the projects are not in the interest of Goa and does not serve the purpose of the State.
When the media drew his attention to the claims made by the BJP on the state’s development post-2012, Rahul Gandhi said everyone in Goa knows the unemployment situation, the state of affairs in the tourism sector and the mining crisis.
“What is more important is that the BJP had ruled the state for the last five years by robbing the people’s mandate. Goans wanted the Congress to rule for five years and put an end to corruption, but the BJP had robbed the original mandate,” he said.
Saying the central issue facing Goa today is unemployment, he said the people of Goa now feel that the Congress is the best option to resolve the issue. “We propose to focus on generating money to the tune of Rs 500 crore and energies to create Goa as an IT hub and knowledge hub so that Goans can get jobs in the IT industry. We have done the calculation on how to get this money. Besides, we are going to start sustainable mining to generate jobs in the mining sector,” he said.
He added: “The Congress had interactions with tourism stakeholders and we have a plan to rejuvenate the tourism industry. We will protect this asset. We have a concrete proposal.”
He evaded questions on the issue of forging a post-poll alliance with non-BJP parties. He firmly ruled out the question of any alliance, exuding confidence of Congress getting the majority. “We will cross the majority mark with ease,” he asserted.
On the question of denying tickets to defectors, he said the Congress has listened to the voice of the people, who were all opposed to defections.
“We want to form a government of the people by listening to the voice of the people and help them. The people told us they don’t want the defectors. We have accepted the suggestions and we have not given a single ticket to the defectors,” he said, adding “this is not a wrong decision, but a right one.”
To a question on PM Modi’s statement that all sections of Goans have benefitted out of the government schemes, Gandhi said Modi should tell the youth of Goa what he has done for them in the last five years to generate jobs, to rejuvenate tourism and to protect the state’s environment.
To another question that Congress leaders tend to leave the party after election, he shot back “they don’t tend to go, but they were paid money to go. This time we will get a solid majority and we will soon form a government”.
He pointed out that the Congress had taken the pledge of loyalty from the candidate as a demonstration of the intent that they will all stay together and does not mean the party has no trust in the candidates.
