Team Goemkarponn
RIVONA: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday took a sharp jibe at the opposition, saying the public’s inability to even name rival candidates was a clear indication of the ruling BJP’s growing grassroots strength and the opposition’s weak connect with voters.
Addressing a corner meeting of a Zilla Panchayat candidate at Valkini in the Rivona constituency, Sawant remarked that not knowing the names of opposition candidates was “a good sign”, adding that the enthusiastic gathering resembled Minister Subhash Phal Dessai’s Assembly election meeting for 2027.
Highlighting his government’s welfare initiatives, the Chief Minister said that soon after he assumed office, several Goans approached him after receiving court notices for demolition of their houses declared illegal. “To ensure that no Goan’s house is demolished, we introduced the Mhaje Ghar scheme to legalise such houses,” Sawant said.
He also drew attention to a disability welfare initiative under which around 200 persons who had lost limbs and were unable to walk were identified through a survey conducted by Minister Subhash Phal Dessai. Sawant said prosthetic legs were provided to all beneficiaries, enabling them to walk—and in some cases, even run—again.
Sawant said these people-centric schemes reflected the government’s commitment to addressing real issues on the ground, contrasting it with what he described as the opposition’s absence from public life. He added that the strong response at the Rivona meeting demonstrated public confidence in the BJP’s leadership and its development-oriented governance.
