Team Herald
PANJIM: Congress on Monday claimed that the outburst of Goa Forward Party (GPF) president Vijai Sardesai against his ally BJP over the unresolved mining crisis is “theatrics” to get “public sympathy” and divert attention from the agitation against PDAs.
Congress spokesperson Sidhanath Buyao said his party is with the people in their plight and demands that the mining issue be resolved at the earliest.
“But the party is cautious over the sudden statements by TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai. His recent outburst against BJP for not solving the mining issue is theatrics adopted to get public sympathy and divert attention from the agitation demanding scrapping of PDAs,” he alleged.
Pointing to Sardesai’s warning that he may have to think on supporting BJP during the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, Buyao said that if the Minister really means what he is saying he need not wait for the Lok Sabha elections and can step down immediately. “Sardesai should show his sympathy towards these people right now by stepping down from the government. He can build pressure on BJP to take a proper stand in favour of mining dependents,” he stated.
Buyao said that considering Sardesai’s past track record, mining dependents should never trust him to lead their agitation. “Sardesai has been known for frequent U-turns over his ideologies and is likely to hijack this agitation to make it convenient for his parent organisation, which is BJP, to ditch the people dependent on this industry,” he said.
Congress questioned Sardesai as to why he was absent when a mining delegation went to Delhi in March demanding a solution to the mining crisis.
