PANAJI: Union Minister and North Goa MP Shripad Naik strongly defended the naming of the newly launched RoRo ferries Gangotri and Dwarka, calling them symbols of Indian culture and heritage.
Responding to criticism allegedly made by the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President, Naik said, “Gangotri and Dwarka are respected worldwide, not just in India. These are not outsider names; they belong to our own Hindustan.”
Naik further added that if the GPCC President considers such names to be “outsider,” then “he’s not worth calling an Indian.”
The remarks come amid political friction following the launch of the two zero-emission ferries on the Chorao–Ribandar route, which the BJP government has hailed as a major step in modernizing Goa’s river transport.
