the goan I network
PANAJI
Former Congress candidate for Mayem constituency Santosh Kumar Sawant joined the Goa Forward Party on Thursday with a vow to take his Mayem constituency, “which is lagging 10-15 years behind” forward.
Speaking after being welcomed into the party, Sawant who had contested on a Congress ticket and claims to have secured 7,500 votes at the general assembly elections, said that he quit the Congress party because he didn’t receive the kind of support he expected.
“In the Goa Forward, I am joining a family. I can count on the support of the leadership of this party,” Sawant said adding that his primary aim was to take his Mayem constituency forward.
He cited the mining shutdown as the biggest problem the people of his constituency are facing.
“Much of the constituency is in the mining belt and has been severely affected by the mining shutdown. In such a situation the Congress leaders have been saying that the Supreme Court’s decision is a good one. No doubt we should respect the Supreme Court, but at the end of the day the judges should consider the humanitarian aspects of their judgements,” Sawant said.
He expressed confidence that the GFP would try and solve the problem.
Welcoming Sawnat into the party, Vijai Sardesai said: “I congratulate him and I congratulate all his workers. And I give my word that the people who are affected by mining, our commitment is complete...I have a demand to put before the government and more so to the BJP leaders -- Resolve this as quickly as possible because people’s livelihood has been hit,” Sardesai said.
“And if the government does not move quickly to resolve this, whatever needs to be done, we will do,” he said.
“The expansion of the Goa Forward Party, is looking at the person and looking at the people. We are not expanding for the sake of it. The same way we did a surgical strike last elections by winning three of the four seats we contested. We are slow and steady and we will give justice to the people,” Sardesai added.
