TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Candidates of both BJP and Congress, contesting the North Goa parliamentary constituency – Shripad Naik and Ravi Naik – filed their nominations amid much fanfare at the North Goa Collector’s office.
Shripad, who arrived first to file his nomination papers, was accompanied by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and a host of BJP leaders, ministers, CCP corporators as well as other party supporters.
Ravi, who came a little later, was backed by a marginally smaller crowd but nonetheless had the support of Leader of Opposition Pratapsing Rane, North Goa MLAs as well as former MLAs and other parties.
Later addressing media persons, Shripad claimed that he was confident of winning and that he had completed more than 700 projects under the MPLAD scheme.
“I have completed more than 700 projects including funding of better schools, 80 community halls and more than 69 crematoria,” Shripad said.
Speaking further he said he would contest on issues such as resumption of legal mining, development of a “futuristic Mopa airport”, special status, which he said was a broken promise of the Congress government. The Chief Minister intervened to add that Dabolim airport would be upgraded to an international airport and continue to exist along with Mopa.
Ravi, after filing his nomination papers, claimed that Congress victory was certain and maintained that the money spent by Shripad was given by the Congress government which had hiked the MPLAD from Rs one crore to five crore.
“In the mining areas there is deep disappointment with the current government. All the people who used to brandish gold bracelets and chains have now sold them all,” Naik said, adding that women were only left with mangalsutras which they cannot sell.
He has also said that the he is a candidate that will take “all communities along” and will not differentiate between communities. He also said that people were crushed under taxes imposed by the Parrikar government. He also said that the ‘waves’ were temporary and he will overcome them.
