Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai lighting candles along with his wife Usha at the Goemkar Ghor on Sunday.
Photo Credits: The Goan
MARGAO
Goa Forward Chief Vijai Sardesai along with his wife Usha lit candles at the Goemkar Ghor, the party headquarters at Fatorda on Sunday, with a call to the people of Goa to brace up for a sustained battle to save Mhadei and to take on the double-engine BJP government.
Saying he has responded to the appeal made by the Save Mhadei, Save Goa Front to light candles on the Mhadei issue, Sardesai said the lighting of the candle is significant since the matter is scheduled to come up in the Supreme Court on Monday, even as he hoped that the lighting of candles by the people of Goa will awaken the government from its "slumber".
He said the Goa Forward is firm in its demand that the Mhadei river waters should not be allowed to be diverted to Karnataka. “We will support the agitation called by the Save Mhadei, Save Goa Front”, he said.
Directing a tirade at Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, the Goa Forward chief said that Sawant, who goes to Karnataka and makes an appeal to the people to re-elect to power the very government which is illegally taking Mhadei waters, has no right to continue in office.
“When the Karnataka government is out to destroy Mother Mhadei and our Chief Minister is making an appeal to re-elect the very same government there, it shows that our government is out to sell Mhadei,” he said.
Making an appeal to the people of Goa to unite to save Mhadei, Sardesai said that lighting of candles is the first step towards achieving the goal. “We have to take many steps in the future. If the people of Goa come together, we can take on anyone, including the double-engine BJP government,” he added.
Warren Alemao, in a statement, urged the people of Goa not to politicise the issue, but join hands as one Goemkars to unitedly fight to save Mhadei. While lighting candles at his residence, Warren pledged his support to the Save Mhadei, Save Goa Movement, pointing out that the Mhadei river waters sustain forest and wildlife in the wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in the State, like Mahadayi Wildlife Sanctuary in Sattari taluka; Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary in Mollem, Sanguem taluka; and Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary.
