VASCO
Warning other parties not to take Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for granted, Lok Sabha MP and NCPgeneral secretary Praful Patel said if time comes, NCP will not hesitate to go all alone to contest the 2017 assembly elections in Goa.
Addressing the NCP workers convention at Vasco on Sunday, Patel said: “Gone are the days when one party used to get majority and now it's not possible to form government without help of other secular parties.”
“We are ready to join hands with like-minded parties to contest the next assembly election to keep fascist and communal parties at bay, but at the same time other parties should not take NCP for granted, as we are ready to contest the 2017 assembly election all alone,” said Patel.
“We started election campaign in Goa from today and ready to join hands with other like-minded parties to defeat BJP in Goa,” added Patel.
“Ever since NCP was formed in 1990, we had the privilege of serving Goa and for the first time in 2012 election NCP could not open an account in Goa.”
Complimenting former minister and NCP State president Jose Philip D’Souza, Patel said the party in Goa under D’Souza's leadership will win the election and D’Souza will be a Cabinet minister.
Hitting out at BJP in the State and at the Centre, Patel said during 2012 assembly election, BJP in Goa had promised to recover illegal mining money as mentioned in the Shah Commission report and had also promised to distribute the amount among the families.
“BJP had also promised jobs to youth in Goa, but neither the families got the promised amount nor jobs and in last five years nothing has changed in Goa,” added Patel.
“BJP has failed to live up to its promises, both at the center and in the State.”
D’Souza criticized Vasco MLA Carlos Almeida for directing government offices, which are on rent in MMC building to shift to an alternate site to carry out repair and renovation of the building. “I am not against the project, but before starting repair and renovation, the council should have provided them the alternate location,” said D’Souza.
D’Souza also criticised Almeida for not commissioning the underground reservoir at INS Hansa, which was built to supply water to the citizens of Vasco.
Other NCP leaders from Maharashtra and Kerala also spoke on the occasion.
