the goan I network
PANAJI
The State BJP leadership on Sunday, asked the mining-affected groups who have planned protests on Monday to hold off their protests offering them the chance to meet Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday.
Goa’s Rajya Sabha MP and BJP president Vinay Tendulkar who was flanked by Union Minister of State Shripad Naik and Francisco Souza said that Gadkari will be arriving at 8 pm on Monday night and will meet BJP MLAs the same day while keeping time aside to meet all mining stakeholders on Tuesday.
“They should not go on strike, on behalf of the party we are asking them not to. People will be in trouble. Let’s start the new year with a new start,” Tendulkar said.
“Shripad Naik, Narendra Sawaikar and I called on several central leaders. We met Gadkari and requested him that since he has played a role in Goa in forming the government and bringing the alliance together and had come down then, he should come down and meet the mining-affected persons,” Tendulkar said.
“He acceded to our request and will arrive on Monday at 8 pm. He will meet all stakeholders“ truck owners association, barge owners as well as the mine owners,” Tendulkar said.
Gadkari will also meet the MLAs and leaders of coalition partners as well as Congress MLAs if they so wish. “He is here as a central minister of the government. There is nothing that says he will not or cannot meet members of the opposition parties,” Tendulkar added.
Speaking on the choice of the central BJP leadership to send Nitin Gadkari and not the mines or any other minister, Tendulkar said that it was because Gadkari “knows Goa”.
Also speaking on the occasion Shripad Naik said that the government is seized with the issue and calling for a strike will not achieve any added objective.
“Efforts are on, it’s not like we are doing nothing. Gadkari will be here so that at least the mining affected people have someone to tell their troubles to,” Naik added.
The party, however, admitted that they were delayed and blamed Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s sudden illness for it.
“We are late. The Chief Minister took sick. He had kept a (consultative) meeting and that day the pain began. So it took us some time,” Tendulkar said.
“Even if the order came on February 7, consultations were on. Meetings were scheduled. On February 14 there was a meeting. Other meetings were scheduled. We didn’t know he would take ill. It took us some time. But we are filing an appeal through a good lawyer possibly Mukul Rohatgi, Ashok Desai or others. The final decision is not yet taken done. It will be done by the state government. The main reason (for the delay) is because the CM took unwell. All attempts (to solve the issue) are on,” Tendulkar said.
