Congress leaders addressing the media ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Margao on Tuesday. Captured by : Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
Ahead of the Viksit Bharat rally at the Margao KTC bus stand, the Congress has demanded to know whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would make any announcement on the withdrawal of the DPR given to Karnataka for diversion of river Mhadei.
The Congress further demanded to know why photograph of South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha does not figure on the hoardings that have been put up ahead of the Viksit Bharat rally if the programme is government-funded.
The Congress further demanded to know whether the Prime Minister will declare the Mhadei sanctuary as the Tiger Reserve or announce the dates for the resumption of mining activities in the state.
Addressing the media on the eve of Prime Minister’s Viksit Bharat rally at the Margao KTC bus stand, GPCC Chief Amit Patkar wondered whether the Prime Minister has any plan to lay the foundation stone for a modern bus stand at Margao.
Flanked by party leaders, Amarnath Panjikar and South Goa district Congress committee Chief Savio D’Silva and Congress ST Cell in-charge Ramkrishna Jalmi, the GPCC Chief reminded that the PM headed Niti Ayog has come out with statistics showing Goa as the number one unemployed state in the country, demanding to know whether the PM has any roadmap to provide employment in the state.
“The BJP leadership regard Mhadei as their mother. The Centre was responsible for issuing the DPR to Karnataka to divert the river waters. Since the PM is coming to Margao, he should announce whether the centre would withdraw the DPR”, he added.
Saying the controversial three linear projects threaten to destroy the environment and the livelihoods of the people, Patkar demanded that the PM announce scrapping of the three projects.
Saying that the state rivers were nationalized during the tenure of Prime Minister Modi despite objections by former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar, Patkar demanded that the PM declare at Margao that the centre would hand over the rivers back to the Goa government.
Saying Goa is in a state of financial bankruptcy due to mismanagement by the BJP government, he pointed out that Goa’s debt has reached a staggering figure of Rs 36,000 crore, Patkar demanded to know whether the PM will unveil an economic package for Goa during his visit to Margao on Tuesday.
“Why is the Prime Minister not laying a foundation stone for the Margao bus stand, which is functioning from an shed, since the last four decades”, Patkar added.
The PCC president further said the BJP Government in Goa is the only government to receive “Certificate of Corruption” from the Governor, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and Lokayukta. “The Cabinet ministers and the ruling MLAs have also exposed corruption of their colleagues. High Court and Supreme Court have slammed unconstitutional, undemocratic working of the BJP government during Panchayat and Municipality elections. We congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi for these achievements of successive BJP governments in Goa”, he added.
