Team Herald
PANJIM: Extending his full support to the ongoing people’s protest to save Goa, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Churchill Alemao on Sunday exposed how the then Digambar Kamat-led Congress government had extended support to Centre’s proposal for double-tracking of South Western Railway line in 2011.
Addressing a public meeting at Azad Maidan, Alemao blamed the then successive Congress regimes under Pratapsingh Rane for allowing offshore casinos as well as letting Karnataka divert water from Mhadei river basin to Malaprabha basin.
“The Congress was responsible for everything. When the UPA-led Central government in February 2011, in its Union Budget passed the double tracking of railway line, passing through Goa, it was the then Kamat-led government that welcomed the decision and said that it will provide great opportunity to private sector to invest in the State,” Alemao said reading out a news clipping.
“Former Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha late Shantaram Naik and incumbent MP Francis Sardinha, too, had extended support to the proposal in the Parliament, Alemao claimed, adding ‘Even the BJP MP Shripad Naik was part of it’.
“You (Congress) cannot
be double speaking on the issue,” he commented.
“I demand that the BJP State government should stop the project in the interest of people of Goa, who are protesting. People are unanimous on ‘No to Coal’,” the former CM said.
Party’s national general secretary Praful Patel was also present.
Alemao recalled that it was the Pratapsingh Rane government that first granted permission to offshore casino vessels in the State. “It was during Rane’s tenure only that Karnataka was allowed to divert water from Mhadei. It is an open challenge to Rane…let him deny the charge,” he said.
The NCP MLA said the party would stand by the people of Goa in their fight against coal transportation, double tracking of railway line as well as to protect River Mhadei.
Earlier, NCP State president Jose Philip D’Souza said the party would come on the streets in support of people to ensure that the projects are withdrawn.
“Enough is enough. We have to now fight unitedly,” he said, calling upon all the 40 MLAs to stand in support of the people against these projects.
