PONDA: Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM) announced on Tuesday that it would contest the Shiroda by-election on its own.
Addressing a press conference here, GSM Vice President Govind Dev said that his party has decided to contest the Shiroda by-polls in response to MGP for “cheating” the former after the 2017 Assembly polls.
“We (MGP and GSM) fought the 2017 elections together on MOI (medium of instruction) issue; but after the elections, MGP supported BJP and cheated on the MOI issue by forgetting and ignoring it completely,” Dev said.
Besides the MOI issue, Dev said that traffic pressure on Borim Bridge and water shortage in Shiroda constituency are the reasons that GSM enters the electoral fray in Shiroda.
He said that currently the Borim Bridge is facing tremendous traffic pressure due to closure of Zuvari Bridge for heavy vehicles. But, he said, neither the Congress nor the BJP highlighted the problems before government and asked for construction of new bridge at Borim.
Similarly, he said, the heavy vehicles plying on this bridge create massive traffic congestion in Borim, especially at Saibaba Temple, as large number of devotees gather at the roadside temple on festival days.
“Not only this, the government failed to solve the water shortage problems faced in remote areas of Bethora, Borim, Panchawadi and Shiroda. The government also failed to provide employment to the youth of these villages, as very few companies are operating at Bethora and Panchawadi Industrial Estates,” he said.
“There will be no alliance with MGP which compromised on casino and Medium of Education. Besides, the current MGP leaders have forgotten the hundreds of Marathi schools founded by the first chief minister, but are facing closure,” Dev lamented.
He also lambasted the current MGP leaders for “Asking the Goans to get admission in English medium school.”
