“See, Delhi government is a union territory. Annually, they get 20,000 cr from the Centre as a grant, and they can afford to give free electricity. They get so much money from the Centre that they can put it up for so many things. Is Kejriwal giving from his pocket? He is giving it from the State Treasury only. Also, Delhi is a cosmopolitan city, and the government’s income is high, but Goa is different. Here every govt has been taking loans, not just this govt. The loans taken by past govt’s are paid now by us. There is nothing called free. We give a subsidy for everything. Our tariff starts at 1.40 rupees while Delhi’s starts at 4 rupees.”
Goa has seen several agitations in the last three years over environmental issues, be it three linear projects, coal transportation, CZMP, Mhadei, etc. However, Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral, in Dr Pramod Sawant cabinet, did not shy away from facing the agitators and clearing their doubts. Speaking to SURAJ NANDREKAR, Cabral says the agitations had no base as they were politically motivated. He also speaks about the dynastic politics, rumours of him leaving BJP and so on…
Goemkarponn desk
Excerpts:
Goemkarponn: Nileshbab, you won by a margin of around 9000 votes last time in 2017; how are your preparations this time and what do you think would be your margin for victory?
Nilesh Cabral: I don’t know about the margin; I am doing my work and am blessed to have a perfect team of panchas and councillors who have been helping me out. In the last few days that I have been moving around and looking at the people’s responses, I think the margin will be greater than last.
Goemkarponn: Being the Power Minister of Goa must have helped you to bring about development in your constituency?
Nilesh Cabral: As a power minister, I have worked in my constituency and in the entire Goa. In Curhcorem, I have undertaken 11 kva underground cabling work. Earlier, many Power Ministers have just focused on their constituency, but I have worked in entire Goa and started many works.
Goemkarponn: Your constituency has been heavily dependent on the mining business, which has been stopped for the last four years now; people have faced many problems, including unemployment. How have you tackled the issue and helped teh youth?
Nilesh Cabral: If you see my constituency, these students and youth are toppers, and they are in various top positions; if you have seen, many of the youth are employed in Government services due to their own calibre. Almost 25 people are working in GPSC, whether it is Mamlatdar, BDO, Dy Collector. So most of the youth are doing well and have got jobs. Unfortunately, the mining issue, many did never want a job they wanted to be an entrepreneur The mining ban has affected too, I made strong efforts, but unfortunately, things did not go the way we wanted. I hope in the next government we will find a solution to the problem. There are various issues; the leaseholders have taken the entire land in their possession. We wanted to see that leaseholders only start mining again, but somewhere due to SC order, we could not do that, and hence we have decided to auction the leases. So over the next two years, I think we will be able to restart mining by auctioning leases unless somebody else objects to it.
Goemkarponn: Nileshbab, don’t you think there could be a backlash as your government failed to restart mining in Goa?
Nilesh Cabral: Definitely, the people are disappointed and upset; the people have been hurt, there is less work even the truckers are facing problems; I tried solving issues by starting e-auctioning and cargo, but still people are unhappy, but they know I tried to do my best. I was very vocal in mining restarting as I am from a mining background.
Unfortunately, things have not gone the way we wanted, but still, I will request people to trust us. I have already told the CM that we have to start legal mining on priority in the next government we form so that the unemployment issue is sorted.
Goemkarponn: There were rumours that you were supposed to leave the BJP along with Michael Lobo? Were these rumours true?
Nilesh Cabral: The rumours were spread by Michael Lobo himself. In a picture that went viral, mine and his face were shown, and other faces were shown as a blank, saying they were quitting BJP. I do not know who started the rumours. People know I have been a BJP’s loyal soldier. Someone else from Curchorem was trying to create a rumour as he was trying to get the ticket. Nonetheless, leaving BJP never came to my mind, neither did I approach anybody. Also, the question of me being denied a ticket never came because I have won by 9000 plus votes in the last two elections, so why would I leave. I was never like Michael Lobo, who indulged in anti-party activities. If I had any issues in the constituency, I would ask the chief minister. Going out and talking to people is not the solution. So what Michael wanted, nobody knew till the end. We had pampered him the most, but despite that, he left the party.
Goemkarponn: But you cannot deny the fact that three well-settled Catholic MLAs have left teh BJP? Why do you think so?
Nilesh Cabral: Absolutely rubbish, Today the party does not see whether I am a Hindu or a Catholic. I do not want to comment on people who have gone as it is not right on my part, but everybody knows why they have gone. The BJP is a most cohesive party looking in the interest of the State and country to see that our youth go to a different level. Being a Catholic, I am not just a minister; I am in the core group and have access to all top leadership, and it never has happened that I have found myself out of place.
Goemkarponn: So you feel teh Opposition is trying to create this Communal tag on BJP?
Nilesh Cabral: Yes, always, in Goa, the only communal riots were in my constituency in 2006 when Congress was in power. How did that happen then? We work in the interest of the State and the country.
Goemkarponn: BJP has always blamed Congress for dynastic politics, but slowly it is occurring in its own party with so many leaders claiming tickets for spouses and relatives?
Nilesh Cabral: Who you talked about is already an existing MLA like Jennifer and Babush Monseratte. Even in Vishwajit Rane’s constituency, his father does not want to contest, so he wants his family member to contest; what is wrong with that? But dynastic politics, which I feel BJP will not allow, but those already existing will get; you said Michael Lobo left because his wife was denied a ticket. This gives a clear picture BJP does not allow this.
Goemkarponn: But don’t you think the BJP’s core karyakartas are getting hurt due to certain party’s decisions? If Utpal is denied a ticket, how can Joshua get it?
Nilesh Cabral: See, I am not saying Utpal is good, or Joshua is good. See, BJP has a different working system; Joshua was told last time that a ticket was not being given to him. The State party never sent his name, but the Central leaders’ survey found him a winning candidate. So here, they must have seen that parameters are there in a different direction. Utpal is still young and has to work more. I respected his father, and he had to get the ticket on his own and not his father’s image. Automatically party will take cognizance of his work and reward him.
Goemkarponn: Realistically, how many seats do you think BJP will win?
Nilesh Cabral: We will form the government, that is very important. I don’t want to comment on how many seats we win, but we will form a government with the blessings of the people of Goa. BJP has done a lot of works in Goa and development, but ultimately due to the OCVID19 pandemic, many things happened, and I am confident that people will vote for us. The party is not taking up work in just Goa but in the entire country.
Goemkarponn: Since you were the Environment Minister in this govt you know how many agitations have occurred in the last few years due to environmental degradation? Don’t you think anti-incumbency and agitations would play a major role in these elections?
Nilesh Cabral: Agitations happened and are happening. All these agitations are politically motivated. We have the good infrastructure of roads, good railway network, and good power supply, which are needed; if there was a plant coming somewhere and it was creating pollution, I would understand. If development does not happen, what are we here for? Consider power; we are buying power from other states. Other states are giving power, and we are depriving ourselves;
These protests are to misguide the people. There were already transmission lines, and we were just replacing them. But these people are still being troubled.
Road widening at ghat is for people’s safety, but that is also being opposed. As environment minister, I understand the degradation has been happening for ages, but that is for infrastructure and not individual purposes.
Goemkarponn: But as Environment Minister, it is your responsibility to protect Goa’s environment and save it for posterity. Isn’t it?
Nilesh Cabral: Of course, we are protecting; our government has taken the initiative to complete the CZMP plan, which nobody has done for decades. That is the protection of the environment. We have done an entire ESA report and submitted it to the Centre. At the same time, we cannot create hindrances for infrastructure development. Tomorrow if no power, who will be blamed? Govt has to balancing act, and we are doing it. We have to take a stand somewhere. If we are not producing electricity, where should we get it from? We have to put transmission lines. We gave a 50 p.c subsidy for solar power, but people did not come forward. Because we are getting cheap power.
Goemkarponn: As you spoke on power, do you think Arvind Kejriwal’s promise of free power is implementable in Goa?
Nilesh Cabral: If he can do it here, why does he not do it in their own states where they are elected?
Goemkarponn: But in Delhi, people are getting zero bills?
Nilesh Cabral: See Delhi government is a union territory. Annually, they get 20,000 cr from the Centre as a grant, and they can afford to give free electricity. They get so much money from the Centre that they can put it up for so many things. Is Kejriwal giving from his pocket? He is giving it from the State Treasury only. Also, Delhi is a cosmopolitan city, and the government’s income is high, but Goa is different. Here every govt has been taking loans, not just this govt. The loans taken by past govt’s are paid now by us. There is nothing called free. We give a subsidy for everything. Our tariff starts at 1.40 rupees while Delhi’s starts at 4 rupees.