MARGAO
Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls due in a couple of months from now, the BJP has set in motion the consultative process within and outside the party fora, with the Party National Joint Secretary Shiv Prakash descending in South Goa on Friday with a plea to party rank and file to strengthen the organisation and ensure that the BJP wins both the Lok Sabha seats.
If Shiv Prakash began the day at the South Goa district BJP office on Friday morning with an interaction with the mahilas, he discussed party issues with party district members and mandal presidents during the noon.
In the evening, Shiv Prakash is believed to have had a meeting with members of the Fatorda block before interacting with well wishers and sympathisers, including professionals. Party president and Rajya Sabha MP, Vinay Tendulkar, South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar, party leaders Sadananad Tanavade, Damu Naik were all present during the interaction Shiv Prakash had with party well wishers and professionals.
State BJP Mahila morcha president Sulakshana Sawant told the media that Shiv Prakash had a meeting with the mahilas from South Goa with the avowed objective of strengthening the organisation ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha poll. She said the party national Joint Secretary has appealed to the party mahila workers to gear up to strengthen the organisation and to ensure that the party wins both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa. Mahilas from as many as 18 Assembly constituencies from South Goa are believed to have attended the interaction with the party national Joint Secretary.
BJP Mahila Morcha leaders welcome coconut subsidy, but mum on demand from Mahila Cong
MARGAO: Bharatiya Janata Party Mahila Morcha leaders have welcomed the coconut subsidy scheme launched
by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, but remained mum on the demand from the Mahila Congress activists that the government should make available the coconuts at Rs 5, Rs 10 and Rs 15 per unit.
BJP Mahila Morcha president Sulakshana Sawant also did not think that the Congress mahilas are more active than them, saying that there’s no need for them to shout and come onto the roads when they can take up public grievances directly with their party.
Addressing the media, Sawant pointed out that the government’s decision to subsidise the coconut will go a long way in ameliorating the hardships faced by the common man. “The coconut shortage has been triggered by the market forces as the production has remained stagnant and the demand ever growing with each passing day. Apart from the subsidised coconut, efforts should be made to all concerned to increase the coconut production to meet the future requirements,” she said.
Sawant, however, refused to comment on the demand of the Mahila Congress to make available the coconut for Rs 5, Rs 10 and Rs 15 as against the subsidised rate of Rs 15, Rs 18 and Rs 20 per unit.
When the media sought to know whether the Mahila Congress have turned out more active than them in the State, Sawant retorted saying “in the Assembly, the opposition is active, because they raise issues and the government defends action. I do not think there’s any need to do any andolan when one’s government is in power since we can take up the issues directly with the government. In the past, the BJP Mahila Morcha had been active in raising issues concerning the common man,” she said.
Sawant welcomed the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley saying the budget is pro-women and for the common man of the country. When asked whether the Goa government has failed in implementing the sanitation programme initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi three years ago, Sawant pointed out that the Goa government has now decided to build 72,000 toilets after conducting a survey of the taluka and ascertain the ground reality.
