GSAI roots for BJP at LS elections

TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: Goan Seamen Association of India (GSAI) has appealed to the seafarers community in Goa to support BJP candidates in the April 12 Lok Sabha elections.
An executive committee meeting of the GSAI chaired by President Dixon Vaz said that South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha and former Congress MLAs have no moral right to seek votes from seafarers as they have done nothing to give them pension or hike ex-gratia relief.
After the meeting, Vaz told Herald that GSAI has appealed to the seafaring community to vote for BJP candidates since the BJP government has introduced pension for retired seafarers and widows of seamen. “And we have hope that once it comes to power the BJP at the Centre will sanction one-time grant which would help to increase ex-gratia relief to retired seamen and widows”, he said.
Saying that GSAI has decided to give issue-based support to the BJP in acknowledgement of the pension scheme introduced by the Parrikar government, Vaz said the Congress South Goa MP did nothing to increase the ex-gratia monthly relief to retired seafarers. “Though the Congress government was in power during the last five years, they had failed to introduce a scheme for retired seafarers and widows despite pleas. Parrikar has introduced the pension scheme and we are grateful to him. Our vote is for Parrikar”, he said.
A delegation of GSAI will hand over a memorandum to the BJP South Goa candidate Narendra Sawaikar and North Goa candidate Sripad Naik seeking their help to increase the ex-gratia relief if the BJP comes to power at the Centre.