PANAJI
​The Congress leadership including four former Chief Ministers from the party and four national Congressmen put up a united front on Wednesday claiming that there is a wave in favour of the party. Coming together on a single platform, the Congress leaders voiced in unison that the party is confident of winning a clear majority in the upcoming poll.​
The top leaders included Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Luizinho Faleiro, GPCC vice president M K Shaikh, Leader of Opposition Pratapsing Raoji Rane, Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, senior Congressman and Ponda candidate Ravi Naik and senior members of the All India Congress Committee Pavan Khera, Girish Chodankar, Suraj Hegde and Dr Chella Kumar.
Speaking at Panaji, Faleiro stated, “We will be able to form the government on our own with complete majority. All senior leaders are working together for victory. There is a wave in favour of the Congress.”
The GPCC president insisted that the Congress manifesto, unlike the other parties’ document, was a ‘Goa-centric manifesto’.
“Stakeholders were taken into consideration to alleviate their grievances in an effective manner. We have focused on healthcare, education, employment and industrial growth in order to push Goa further on the path of development. This five-year BJP term has taken Goa back by 10 years,” he said.
Former CM Rane pointed to the failure of the BJP government in delivering basic amenities such as healthcare, public transport, roadways. Weaving these pressing issues together, Rane said that it is the complete lack of planning and the government’s dilly-dallying on the implementation of the Regional Plan 2021 which has resulted in haphazard development. “RP 2021 which was kept on hold by the BJP will be implemented immediately as a tribute to Charles Correia," Rane stated.
Margao MLA Kamat unleashed a barrage of criticism against the present government for ignoring the South Goa district hospital project, which was initiated by the then Congress government under his watch. He also expressed anguish at the deteriorating state of the Hospicio hospital.
“Hospicio is acting like a post office, dispatching patients to GMC. The morgue is dysfunctional since three years and ambulances and other facilities on wheels are rotting away. Instead of hospitals, the BJP prioritized the Miramar-Dona Paula road concretization project and poured crores into it,” he said.
Responding to a query about the chargesheet filed against him in the Louis Berger bribery case, Kamat alleged that the case was filed to frame h​​im and to humiliate him as a way to take revenge and said, “From day one, I have made it clear that I had no involvement in the matter. There is not a single signature by me on that file. This is a classic frame-up to extract revenge.”
Go cashless only after achieving cent per cent literacy: Ravi
PANAJI: Former CM Ravi Naik bitterly criticised the BJP for its allegedly 'Tughlaqi' policy of demonetisation and questioned the priorities of the central government.
"They are talking about going cashless now. Yes, go cashless. But only after we achieve 100 per cent literacy rate, uninterrupted electricity and water supply, full connectivity and high levels of employment. These are pressing issues that are being ignored and instead policies like demonetisation are imposed," he said.
