Opposition parties in Goa have slammed the BJP, demanding a clarification from Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant over a statement made by Shah at a recent rally in Karnataka where he had stated that the Mhadei issue had been resolved in consultation with the Goa government
Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Goa on Sunday assumes significance as it will set in process the pre-poll preparations of the BJP ahead of the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Addressing the media in Panjim on Saturday, Goa BJP general secretary Narendra Sawaikar, said that the Union Home Minister will arrive in Goa at around 3.30 pm on Sunday and after chairing a meeting with party functionaries, he will address a public gathering at Farmagudi in Ponda taluka.
“We are expecting a crowd of over 25,000 people at the rally. The meeting will kickstart BJP’s Lok Sabha campaign in Goa. Some like-minded parties will also be a part of the meet,” Sawaikar said, while adding that the party is well poised to win both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa.
Meanwhile, the Opposition parties in Goa have slammed the BJP, demanding a clarification from Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant over a statement made by Shah at a recent rally in Karnataka where he had stated that the Mhadei issue had been resolved in consultation with the Goa government.
At a public rally in Karnataka’s Belagavi in January, Shah had said, “I want to tell you (people) that the BJP, by resolving the long-standing dispute between both states (Goa and Karnataka), has given Mhadei water to Karnataka and, thereby, ensured farmers in several districts here are benefited.”
In a press conference on Friday, Goa Trinamool Congress joint convener Samil Volvaiker said, “Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s silence over the matter is nothing short of proof that he doesn’t have the guts to condemn the statement made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The CM must demand a clarification from him as he will be addressing a public meeting in Goa. Amit Shah owes a clarification to the people of Goa. He must come clean and tell Goenkars what he meant by the statement.”
Vijai Sardesai, President of Goa Forward Party, on Friday said on Twitter that Goa was “waiting impatiently for clarity”.
Tagging the Goa CM, Sardesai, tweeted, “On 16th, when you come face to face with the hon’ble Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Goa, will you, or anyone in BJP Goa, have the spine, like a true Goemkar to ask him why in his Belagavi speech, he implied that you colluded and compromised to divert Mhadei waters to benefit BJP Karnataka? Or will you keep quiet and continue to cover up your treachery by even more lies?”
Amarnath Panjikar, the chairman of Congress media cell, had told reporters earlier this week, “Pramod Sawant and other leaders of the BJP have now got a good opportunity to clarify on this issue when Amit Shah will speak at a public meeting in Goa.”
In the recent Budget Session of the Goa Legislative Assembly, Pramod Sawant had said that Goa has not granted any consent to Karnataka for Mhadei river diversion.
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