PANJIM: Former Union minister Ramakant Khalap, who hails from Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar’s constituency, has threatened to see the chief minister defeated in 2017 Assembly polls if he fails to release grants for his Mandre College.
Khalap went on hunger strike on Monday at Azad Maidan in Panjim demanding grants to Mandre College. He will be sitting on hunger strike while the Goa Assembly is in session, till March 18.
Speaking to the media, Khalap said that Parsekar won from Mandrem constituency in the past because there was no unity in the Opposition and this time the Opposition will come together to defeat Parsekar.
“He has brought politics in the field of education and we are creating awareness among the villagers with proof that Parsekar is playing with the future of the younger generation, which forces students to travel to Virnoda which is 25 kms away and Mapusa which is at 12 kms from Mandrem,” Khalap said.
He said the government granted an NOC to Mandre College in 2012 when Manohar Parrikar was chief minister; however in 2013, the government sent a letter saying that the NOC has been withdrawn citing that there are less than 100 students in the college. He mentioned that during the same period the BJP government gave NOCs to three other colleges in the State.
“Why this discrimination in selected areas in Goa? The way BJP government has acted in Mandre, have they also acted in Ponda? Parsekar has become a disgrace to the education field,” Khalap said.
He said that, Parsekar should immediately stop politicising education and restart giving grants to the college or else he will face the consequence in the coming election.
