PANJIM: The BJP misses no opportunity to pat its back over ‘fulfilling’ promises made to the citizens of Goa. While bragging about resolving the contentious Medium of Instruction (MoI) issue despite different groups at loggerheads, the party said they had met 80 percent of the assurances made during the 2012 Assembly elections.
“We have solved the MoI issue. It was one of the assurances mentioned in the 2012 election manifesto. The party has fulfilled almost 80 percent of the total promises,” South MP Narendra Sawaikar said on Saturday.
The leader, who was accompanied by party President Vinay Tendulkar, Damodar Naik and others, however, refused to speak about the dispute arising between two regional groups.
The Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch (BBSM) that openly backed the saffron party during the previous election and now turned into a critic over the MoI issue and has warned it will campaign against the party ahead of the 2017 Assembly elections if the government fails to withdraw grants to Diocesan-backed schools.
On the other hand, pro-English lovers under the banner Forum For Rights of Children’s Education (FORCE) is demanding that the cabinet decision giving grants to English medium schools be converted into legislation.
The party, however, avoided replying on the pending issue of Special Status for Goa, which was another promise in the 2012 manifesto.
Meanwhile, the media countered the party over the delay to finalise the Regional Plan 2021 and the recent amendment to Tree Preservations Act declassifying coconut from the status of tree, to which Sawaikar asked not to link both the issues.
It is now learnt that the promises, which have remained unfulfilled so far, will be included in the party’s 2017 Assembly polls manifesto.
Meanwhile, the party has claimed it will win 26 seats and contest the elections in alliance with its current ally MGP.
