MARGAO
South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha on Wednesday said he has no idea whether the Aam Aadmi Party has staked claim to contest the South Goa seat in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections as part of the Congress-led INDIA alliance.
When the media questioned whether the AAP would contest from South Goa, Sardinha shot back: “Is AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal planning to contest from South Goa?” Before the media could pose another question, Sardinha reminded that he is the sitting Congress MP representing South Goa.
Asked what would be his reaction in the event the South Goa seat was allotted to the AAP as part of the INDIA alliance, Sardinha said, “I do not want to comment anything now. I will tell the media what I have to say at the right time."
Meanwhile, the South Goa MP slammed the government for the empty promises made to the sugarcane farmers over the last several months. Demanding early resumption of the sugarcane factory, Sardinha said the interests of the farmers need to be protected at all costs.
The MP further charged the BJP government for its failure to resume sand extraction in the State. Sardinha said the delay in the resumption of sand mining has resulted in the black marketing of sand and caused hardships to the common man.
Sardinha appealed to the people of Goa to turn up in large numbers at the Lohia Maidan, Margao on January 16 evening to participate in the Opinion Poll Day celebrations. “The Opinion Poll Day is a historic day for the people of Goa who had decisively voted to retain Goa’s separate identity. If not for the decisive victory in the Opinion Poll, I would not have been the State’s Chief Minister or an MP. Goa would have been treated as just a small district of Maharashtra,” he said.
