TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Claiming discrimination by the BJP-led government, Salcete truckers have threatened to vote against the BJP candidate in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls if the government fails to extend the financial package by New Year.
The Salcete Truck Owners’ Association has slammed the government for its failure to unveil any financial package for truckers from the taluka on the eve of Christmas. “The government had in the past unveiled the package on Dussehra Day, Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali for truckers from other parts of the State, but Salcete truckers have been left high and dry without any package’, asserted Association president Franky Gomes.
“The Salcete truckers numbering around 100 will not vote for the BJP candidate if the government fails to extend the financial package for them. And, we will take a call on whom to support if the package is extended to them”, Gomes asserted.
Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco also accused the government of discriminating truckers from Salcete by not coming up with any package till date. “When the government first came with the proposal of financial package for the mining affected people including truckers, barge owners and others, I and the Congress party never opposed the move. But, denial of the financial package to the Salcete truck owners certainly smacks of discrimination. The government should rectify the lapse”, Reginaldo said, while accusing the government of providing the financial package only to BJP affiliated truck owners from the taluka. “This government is biased towards the Salcete truckers. Out of the 100 truck owners, only 10 have received the orders, but there’s no disbursement of money to not even a single trucker belonging to the Association”, he said, adding that the government cannot adopt different yardsticks to different set of truckers.
