Addressing media persons, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) spokesperson Yatish Naik urged that the BJP-government, which is in power at the Centre as well as at the State, should fulfill its election promise and grant special status to Goa under Article 371 of the Constitution, to protect the scars land resource and its identity, both which are currently under threat.
“During Assembly elections in 2012 and Parliament elections in 2014, the BJP promised the people of Special Status and came to power. Now they can’t give any excuse. It’s right of every Goan to demand that BJP should fulfill its promise,” Naik said.
“Before that it will have to disclose to public as what it has done in the recent times to peruse its demand for Special Status before Centre,” he added.
The Congress leader added that until the time Special Status is granted, government needs to adopt several measures to protect is scars land, by implementing regional plan or by enacting a law to protect the sale of agricultural land to non-agriculturalists and non-Goan, as recommended by the State Law Commission in its 18th report, submitted to government in March, 2012.
“As per the Article 246 (3) of the Constitution, transfer of agricultural land is a State subject. That means State has full powers to draft legislation or laws to protect or ban any transfer of lands,” he explained.
