MARGAO
Moments after Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar passed the buck to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to answer questions on the Mhadei issue, Goa Forward Chief Vijai Sardesai served a 48-hour deadline on the government to either come out with an action plan to save Mhadei or face the wrath of Goan people.
Accusing the government of selling Goa’s interests on Mhadei, Sardesai said, “The Chief Minister should either come out with an action plan or quit office and dissolve the Assembly. Let us fight the elections on Mhadei issue,” he said.
He charged the Central government headed by the BJP for taking Goa and Goans for granted on Mhadei, accusing Union Minister Javadekar of betrayal on the issue by passing the buck to the CM.
“It has become crystal clear that the central government is out to starve Goa of Mhadei water. It is Javadekar who has given permission to clear the trees at Mollem and is involved in diverting Mhadei water to Karnataka,” he said.
“All the opposition parties and groups fighting to save Mhadei should come together under one banner. We need to expose and bring down this ant-people government. Now that Javadekar has passed the buck to CM, the latter should come out with a plan of action on the water dispute,” he demanded.
Saying that the patience of the people was running, they will not hesitate to hit the roads even in the time of the pandemic to protect Mhadei.
He said the Goa government has a bad track record on Mhadei. “It was in sleeping mode when Karnataka diverted the water even before the formation of a three-member panel.”
