PANAJI
The Goa government's pre-poll public outreach programme 'Sarkaar aaplya daari' initiative is taking Covid-19 to every home in the State, Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said on Friday. Raut also said that the saffron party would contest between 22-25 seats in the upcoming state assembly polls.
"'Sarkaar aaplya daari' initiative is taking Covid to every home in Goa. What tragedy played out in Goa during Covid pandemic did not happen anywhere else in the country," Raut said.
The Shiv Sena national spokesperson's comment comes days after top two Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, namely state BJP president Sadanand Shet Tanavade and the party's organising secretary Satish Dhond have been diagnosed for Covid.
Raut said that the party would go it alone in the upcoming elections, stating that it would steer clear of alliances this time round. "Even in Goa, we used to opt for alliances; that is why we could not expand. That is why we have decided that we will contest 22 to 25 seats in Goa on our own strength," Raut said. The Shiv Sena had contested the 2017 assembly polls in alliance with the Goa Suraksha Manch and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party. It had poorly lost all the three seats it had contested in.
Raut also said that if the party came to power in 2022, it would shut down the casino industry slamming the BJP's flip flop on closure of casinos. "BJP under Manohar Parrikar has been against casinos. They even launched an agitation against them. Now half the ministers have partnerships with casinos... Should tourism states allow gambling and drugs to proliferate? Does it say that in our Constitution? We will stop casinos if we come to power," Raut said, saying the Goa government's line that the casino industry employs locals should be verified.
Raut also questioned the Goa government's decision to allow offshore casinos a year more to relocate from the Mandovi.
"The government earns some revenue, yes, but how much kickbacks are ministers making under the table? People will ask for an answer during the elections," Raut said.
