TEAM HERALD
bureau@herald-goa.com
CANACONA: Even as senior members of his party are questioning the need to hold Lusofonia Games in the State, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday sought to reassure the sceptics that the infrastructure needed for the international sporting event would be ready by September-end or latest by October 15.
“Even though I am not personally in favour of hoisting the games, but we are doing so due to commitments of the earlier government and the games will be completed successfully,” assured Parrikar.
Parrikar was addressing the last leg of BJPs Gao Chalo Abhiyan in Canacona at two of the municipal booths at Rajbhag and Palolem on Friday evening.
Parrikar later downplayed the Congress criticism of Mopa, casinos, mining and the delayed works for the Lusofonia Games, claiming that the issues being raised are their own creations and added that the BJP is not worried about them.
“Can Digvijay Singh, the Goa desk in-charge of the Congress party, find out what his previous government did with the Rs 78 crore allotted by central government to conduct the Lusofonia games in Goa,” asked Parrikar.
Strongly defending his Sports Minister Ramesh Tawadkar, who earlier claimed that he has been painted in a section of the media as an underperforming minister, Parrikar informed that Tawadkar’s ministry had executed works to the tune of Rs 250 crore alone for the Lusofania Games.
“Then sports minister Babu Azgaonkar and GPCC president Subhash Shirokar went to Portugal and promised to hold these games in Goa, but did nothing to prepare the infrastructure, except for using the central funds of Rs 78 crores availed by the then government,” Parrikar said..
Taking a dig at the Congress party in the State, Parrikar said: “Following the stoppage of mining revenue, I challenge that if the Congress party had been in power, the government staff would have not got their payments for the last several months, as mining provides about Rs 125 crore per month, which is 25% of the state’s revenue.”
Coming hard on reported moves to dislodge his government, Parrikar stated that time has come to act on those people who have indulged in mass corruption. “It’s time to put them behind bars,” warned Parrikar.
Referring to the recent martyrdom of five Indian Jawans in Kashmir, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar described the central government as ‘Namard’ (impotent) and claimed that only BJP leader Narendra Modi has the capability of taking upright and bold decisions to teach Pakistan and such nations a lesson.
Before rising to address the gathering, Parrikar observed a minute’s silence in remembrance of the five Kashmir martyrs in the presence of Sports Minister and Canacona MLA Ramesh Tawadkar and BJP local leaders.
Coming hard on those trying to dislodge his govt Parrikar stated that time has come to act on those who have indulged in mass corruption
