UNITED SPIRIT: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi amidst a sea of party supporters and workers after joining the Goy Rakhonn Yatra on Sunday. Santosh Mirajkar.
MARGAO
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday urged the people of Goa to give the party a clear and full majority in the 2027 Assembly elections, saying a Congress government was necessary to dismantle corruption, stop the sale of land to outsiders and address the growing concerns over unemployment, education and environmental protection.
He called upon Congress leaders, party workers and citizens to work towards securing a decisive mandate for the party in the next Assembly elections.
Addressing the concluding programme of the month-long Goy Rakhonn Yatra at the Margao Cricket Club in Margao, Gandhi said Goa belongs to its people.
“Goa is not the personal property of anyone. Goa belongs to the people of Goa. The people deserve better education, jobs, environmental protection and a bright future,” he said.
Appealing to voters to support the Congress, Gandhi said, “If you want to stop the rampant sale of land to outsiders and the pain and humiliation, give a full majority to the Congress party in the coming polls.”
Blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the situation, Gandhi alleged that Goa’s land was being sold for crores of rupees while the interests of ordinary citizens were being ignored. He claimed that the State’s Master Plan had been scrapped they want to make money rather than protect Goa’s land and resources.
On unemployment, Gandhi claimed that Goa had one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. He said educated Goan youth were being forced to look for employment abroad because the State had failed to create adequate opportunities for them.
“Goan youth are heading abroad for employment because this government has dismantled the system of jobs and replaced it with a system wherein airports, power plants and defence units are handed over to Ambani and Adani. In return, these corporates market the Prime Minister 24x7,” he alleged.
Calling on Congress workers to remain committed to the fight against corruption, Gandhi said opposing the BJP and its ideology remained a central responsibility of the party. “When we get up in the morning, the first thing we decide is how to fight the BJP and its ideology,” he said.
Turning to the education system, Gandhi alleged that institutions that had once been a source of strength for the country were being undermined by political interference. Referring to protests in Delhi, he claimed that students were being targeted with pellet guns and lathis for raising issues such as alleged vote theft, inflation and unemployment. Gandhi urged Congress leaders and workers in Goa to focus on protecting the State’s interests by defeating the BJP, assuring them that the party’s central leadership was working to challenge the BJP-led government at the national level.
“You take care to protect Goa. You do not worry about Delhi. The work is going on. The expiry date of Modi and Amit Shah is coming. We will remove Modi, Amit Shah and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. They will not be saved,” he asserted.
