Priyanka says no to outside culture, for Goan identity

OLD GOA
Coming down heavily on the BJP government in Goa for trying to impose outside culture in the State, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi exhorted the people to vote for the Congress to save their identity, culture and traditions.

Promising to end corruption in selecting candidates for government jobs, Priyanka promised to appoint a Goa Staff Selection Commission. She also assured that 30 per cent of government jobs will be reserved for women while also stating that focus will be laid in building hostels for working women.

Gandhi also assured that once in power, Congress will scrap the three linear projects due to which Goa’s natural habitat will be destroyed.

Speaking at St Andre, St Cruz and Cumbarjua constituencies during her visit to the State, Gandhi said, “This election is for Goa and not for any political party. In 10 years, the BJP government has done nothing for Goa. Every policy of the BJP government has been for its own advancement and benefits of its industrialist friends.”

“There is not a single policy that has benefitted the people of Goa. They do not even accept your identity and culture as it is. They want to impose outside culture on you,” Gandhi stated while urging the people to vote for the Congress if they want to save their unique identity and culture.

“Your State is a jewel of India. You have a culture which is united, you get along well, so the whole country looks towards you. When voting, vote to save Goa because if this government gets five more years then the State will be doomed,” Gandhi warned.

“You have built this society, and it was late Indira Gandhi who gave you the referendum allowing Goa to remain separate,” Gandhi added and said that the voice of the people is uppermost in a democracy.

“Democracy matters in Goa more than anywhere else because here you are preserving something original, something different from the cultures of other States,” Gandhi said and assured that Congress will work in a democratic way where the voice of the people will be heard and not suppressed.

Priyanka also said that the Congress is the only party which can provide a stable government in Goa, and urged the people not to vote for parties which have entered the State only to split the party’s votes.

She also promised that no policy be it on tourism, environment, business, industry, etc will be made without taking opinion of Goans.

In St Andre, Gandhi was handed a memento at the hands of St Andre Mahila president Pelajia Raposo in the form of a framed photograph of her great grandfather late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurating the Fr Agnel Printing Press on May 23, 1963.

Other Congress leaders present at the meetings included former union minister P Chidambaram, Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat, Goa In Charge Dinesh Gundu Rao, GPCC President Girish Chodankar, GPYC President Varad Mardolkar and candidates of respective constituencies, Anthony Fernandes (St Andre), Rodolfo Fernandes (St Cruz) and Rajesh Phaldesai (Cumbarjua).

In all the three constituencies, huge crowd was witnessed, especially in St Cruz where it was overwhelming. Many of them in St Cruz had to wait outside or return home as the capacity at the venue was packed to capacity.