Team Herald
PANJIM: Rubbishing claims that the minority community is not with the BJP, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said that all five party candidates will win by a thumping margin.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, he emphasised the party’s Lok Sabha candidates, Shripad Naik and Narendra Sawaikar as well as the by-poll candidates in Mandrem, Shiroda and Mapusa are getting good support from minority community, besides other sections of the electorate. .
Sawant was replying to queries on the press release issued by Church’s Social Arm CSJP asking voters to reject habitual defectors and communal-minded people.
Sawant said that the LS elections are held to elect a government for the country and that the minority community voters are aware how Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken the nation ahead through his inclusive policies.
“Lok Sabha elections are for the country. Do not limit these elections to certain caste or religion,” Sawant commented.
“The minority community voters are educated, they read national newspapers, watch national news television channels and they are aware about the development undertaken by Modi-led government. They are with BJP,” said Sawant, with BJP State President Vinay Tendulkar alongside him.
Goa has around 27 per cent of the voters belonging to minority community.
Alliance partners
with us: CM
Sawant said that the alliance partners Goa Forward and the independent MLAs are with the party and supporting their candidates.
“Vijai Sardesai was present for nomination in South Goa whereas both Goa Forward ministers were present for filing of nominations in the North. Independent Govind Gaude is actively campaigning in Priol Madkai and Shiroda,” he said.
He said that each alliance partner is doing the best they can do at their level to support our candidates.
BJP Manifesto
Sawant said that the issues related to Goa such as the resumption of iron ore mining sector, tourism development, further improvement in infrastructure and inclusion of Dhanagar community in the list of Scheduled Tribes; have been suggested to be included in party’s national manifesto for Lok Sabha election.
“The candidates will come out with their own manifestos for the respective constituencies,” he however added, while responding to a query that questioned why the manifesto has nothing Goa-centric.
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‘Girish will lose elections again’
Chief Minister Pramod Swant on Monday said that the Congress has no suitable candidate for North Goa and hence have imported Girish Chodankar from South, who has already lost two elections in Panjim and Fatorda.
“Girish will lose in North Goa too and we welcome him to contest in Panjim whenever the by-poll takes place,” he said.
He also criticised the candidates fielded by Congress in both the Lok Sabha constituencies for being inefficient. Sawant pointed out that Congress had to import a leader from South Goa to contest in North Goa due to dearth of candidates.
Also in South, he said that Congress candidate Francisco Sardinha has a track record of not utilizing the fund under MPLAD.
“While on one hand, we have Sawaikar who has utilized 100 per cent of the fund under MPLAD scheme, Sardinha had to surrender 70 percent of his funds,” Sawant said.
