MARGAO
On Sunday at Camurlim village in Curtorim constituency, three-time MLA Reginaldo Lourenco thundered that the controversial Regional Plan 2021 revived by his close friend and TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai should go and a new plan put in place to plan for Goa’s requirement.
He even announced that he would attend the Lohia Maidan meeting scheduled on April 27 called by those opposed to PDA, saying time has come for all Goemkars to come together and save whatever is left in the state.
A day later on Monday, Reginaldo returned back to take potshots at the coalition government, terming the three Cabinet Advisory Committee (CAC) members, including Sardesai, as “three blind mice” and questioned the trio’s capabilities in addressing the burning issues plaguing Goa -- be it RP, casinos, drugs et al.
Perhaps for the first time since the BJP-led coalition government came to power with the support of the Goa Forward Party headed by Sardesai, the three-time Congress MLA has been clear in his criticism of the TCP Minister, whose friendship dates back to over a decade now, during which time the duo shared similar views on many a public issue and jointly took on their common opponents within Salcete and outside.
“Friendship is one thing and the interest of Goa another. For me, Goemkarponn is paramount,” Reginaldo said while addressing an awareness meeting on RP called at Camurlim village ahead of the Lohia Maidan meeting on April 27. Speaking out his mind on the controversial Regional Plan 2021 revived by the coalition government, Reginaldo told The Goan, “Manohar Parrikar rode to power in the 2012 Assembly election on the plank of Regional Plan. He kept the plan on hold for five long years and now the coalition government and the TCP Minister have ordered its revival.”
Saying that this controversial decision on RP is not at all acceptable to the people of Goa, Reginaldo has mooted a new RP by taking the people into confidence and with an avowed objective of protecting Goa for posterity.
“I have nothing personal against the TCP Minister. He was part of us when we had taken up burning issues in the last Assembly. While Vijai is now on the other side of the fence, we along with the people are all fighting for the same issues,” he said.
Asked to outline the Congress stand on the RP, Reginaldo said the party leadership is seized of the issue, but hastened to add that he is in favour of putting in place a new RP plan after taking the stakeholders into confidence. “I do not know the stand of the Congress party, but I will attend the April 27 Lohia Maidan rally to express my solidarity with the people of Goa,” he added.
Justifying his remark calling the three members of the CAC “ Sudin Dhavalikar, Vijai Sardesai and Francis D’Souza -- as three blind mice, Reginaldo said, “These three ministers should devote their attention to issues affecting the common man. We do not know what they are doing.”
