PANJIM: The Congress has questioned the wisdom of the government for spending whopping amount for International Film Festival of India (IFFI) with no revenue to pay outstanding bills of mid-day meals supplying groups as well as fixing the potholed roads.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, party general secretary Amarnath Panjikar also took a potshot at the government over issues like Mhadei in a bid to please neighbouring states.
“The government has no money to pay the outstanding bills of midday meal supplying women self help groups, it has no funds to repair the potholes on the roads but the BJP government is taking loans to pay for the Maharashtrian artiste Avdoot Gupte to perform at Sanguem Mahotsav. It is clear that BJP is keen to please other states like Maharashtra as per directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union minister Amit Shah, which was earlier proved when the BJP took Karnataka’s side on Mhadei issue,” he said at the press briefing held at theparty head office.
The opposition also slammed the government for holding IFFI’s sideline festival at Sanguem while claiming the latter has ignored the remaining 11 talukas from IFFI programs.
“IFFI has become a grazing ground for the BJP cadre. There is mass corruption in organising cultural program, decorations, venue construct, illumination, etc as well as irregularities and manipulations in air tickets and accommodation contracts by which the BJP people are getting huge kickbacks,” he further alleged.
Panjikar also targeted the government over Konkani films at IFFI claiming that three national, 21 international winning Konkani film “Nachoem ia Kumpasar”- also having the credit of two Oscar nominations – has not been included in the official section of Goan Stories curated by the Directorate of Film Festival. Several other award winning films have been kept at bay at this festival.
