TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Resumption of mining activities with transparency and consideration of granting Special Status to Goa to protect its unique identity were assurances made by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, before an over one lakh people at his mega Vijay Sankalp rally on Sunday.
The Saffron party’s poster boy tore apart Congress-led UPA government at the Centre over corruption, price rise and misrule, starting his speech in Konkani amidst loud cheers at the rally held at Merces bypass.
“Goenkarank mazo mogacho yevkar… tumka saglyank dhanyavad,” Modi said at the very beginning of his hour-long speech which also formally launched the BJP’s Lok Sabha campaign in the State.
The three-time Gujarat chief minister said closure of mining activities and Central government’s reluctance to act was a reason for State’s economic woes and unemployment.
“Mining is very important for the economy of Goa. Infrastructure, human resource and raw material is necessary for mining but the raw material remained unutilized,” Modi said assuring “the situation will change in the next few months… we will take care of environment and bring transparency in the mining sector for the country’s growth”.
Modi was speaking in the presence of BJP national President Rajnath Singh, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, BJP Goa desk-incharge Smriti Irani and other local leaders including MLAs and ministers. BJP allies MGP leaders ~ Dhavalikar brothers ~ Ramkrishna alias Sudin and Pandurang alias Deepak and MLA Lavoo Mamledar were also present.
Promising Special Status to Goa under Article 371 of Constitution if BJP came to power at the Centre, Modi said, “I was impressed and overwhelmed that people are demanding Special Status not for money but to preserve the identity of Goa.”
He said a memorandum on Special Status was submitted to him by a delegation as he landed at Goa airport even as he appreciated the common civil code of Goa and Goans.
“I would be proud if I could fulfill the wish of Goans”, he said. This was in reply to the request earlier by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and Environment Minister Alina Saldanha.
Hitting out at Congress, Modi said the party is committed to change fortune of Indian politics and that the decentralization would be the major focus of the governance. “India first is BJP’s only religion. Our only religious book is India’s
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Constitution,” he said adding, “we will rid the country of disease called the Congress.”
“The past 10 years (under the Congress-led UPA) have been the worst the country has seen. People now want Congress-free India,” Modi said urging Goans to spread the message that BJP is the only option. He said that he is confident that BJP in Goa will gain both North and South Goa seats in the Lok Sabha.
Accusing the Congress of playing vote-bank politics, Modi slammed Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde for asking chief ministers not to “wrongly” arrest Muslims. “The law is equal for all… Do arrests take place on the basis of religion?” he questioned adding ‘a criminal does not have any religion… and on the basis of religion innocents should also not be punished’.
Earlier, while addressing the huge crowd, Rajnath Singh assured to make India ‘current account surplus country’ within six months of gaining power in the Centre, after the ensuing Lok Sabha polls.
“We will strengthen the manufacturing sector, produce low cast iron and increase exports decreasing the imports. Once we are in power, within six months the country will have current account surplus from the existing situation of current account deficit,” Singh said in his speech who assured to bring back the good days during Vajpayee-led government if voted to power.
