MARGAO
The BJP flag flew high in Margao on Sunday after former Margao Congress block committee chief Gopal Naik along with around 2,500 workers and supporters of Congress-turned-BJP MLA Digambar Kamat embraced the saffron party.
Pleased over the development, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the message that the outgoing Margao Congress chief Gopal Naik has submitted 2,500 membership forms to the party should not only spread across Goa, but reach Delhi, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
While welcoming the Congress workers and Kamat’s supporters into the party fold, the Chief Minister said that the MLA’s entry will help make Goa Swayampurna.
Kamat, in turn, asserted that his return would not only strengthen the hands of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant but Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well.
Sawant sought to know whether there’s any person left in the State who has not benefited from the various social security schemes of the government.
“Someone may claim that he has not availed any government schemes, but they too should know that they are covered under the health insurance of the government,” he added.
BJP State president Sadanand Tanavade showered praises on the Congress-turned-BJP Margao MLA for deciding to return. “I congratulate Kamat for his decision to join the party. Though he quit the BJP in 2005, Kamat did not break ties with the party. His contribution as chief minister and the Leader of the Opposition and MLA of Margao for 28 years is before the people. Not only Salcete and South Goa, but the party will benefit from Kamat’s entry across the State,” he said.
In his address, the Margao MLA said the Congress block workers had given him the authority to take any decision he deemed fit after he was sidelined by the party High Command after the 2022 Assembly elections.
Expressing satisfaction that his workers and supporters from the Congress have all joined the BJP, Kamat said their decision will strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make India a superpower by 2035.
The BJP top brass attended the Karyakarta Melava where they joined hands with Kamat and his supporters after years of battle for supremacy in Margao.
Leaders on the dais included Margao BJP Mandal president Rupesh Mahatme and former deputy chief minister Manohar Ajgaonkar.
Party leaders Narendra Sawaikar and Damu Naik also attended.
Kamat defends Ordinance, acknowledges
BJP leaders' role in MMC chief election
MARGAO:
Defending the government’s decision to come out with an Ordinance to do away with secret voting for municipal chairpersons and vice-chairpersons, Congress-turned-BJP Margao MLA Digambar Kamat publicly acknowledged Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s crucial role and support of BJP top leaders to win the Margao civic chief poll.
In fact, Kamat said it would have been a different story if the Chief Minister and BJP leaders Sadanand Tanavade and Damu Naik did not extend their help to ensure the BJP flag once again flies high atop the Margao Municipal Council.
Virtually saying that the government would have had to resort to the Ordinance route to save democracy, Kamat slammed those who cry that democracy has been murdered by the Ordinance.
“Numbers matter in democracy and the BJP-led group had 16 in the 25-member house. Where’s the question of murdering democracy? Even the Speaker’s election is being held by show of hands,” he said.
Stating that the BJP’s election in the Margao civic body has caught many napping, Kamat has urged Chairperson Damu Shirodkar to work with full dedication and serve the citizens, promising that he and the State government would rally behind him to make Margao a model town in the entire country.
Keep online & offline options open to
obtain trade licences, civic chiefs told
MARGAO:
With complaints pouring in from many quarters over the decision to make online issuance of trade licenses by the municipal bodies, the government on Sunday told the municipal chiefs to keep both online and offline options open for the vendors to obtain the trade licences.
While addressing a party function at Margao, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the government has come out with an online system to streamline the issuance of trade licences.
He, however, has told Margao civic chief Damu Shirodkar to keep both online and offline acceptance of applications from the vendors to mitigate the hardships.
BJP leader Manohar Ajgaonkar last week had set an eight-day deadline for the government to maintain the status quo of accepting applications from the vendors or face a stir in the city.
He had warned to shut down the Gandhi market, where the Ajgaonkars enjoy influence over the vendors and take a morcha to the civic body if the application of the vendors is not accepted across the counter.
