PANJIM: The opposition Congress on Wednesday demanded that the BJP government stop fooling people on resumption of mining operations and should now make its decision clear once for all.
Speaking to reporters, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) spokesman Mahadev Khandekar said since 2012 Assembly polls, the BJP has been fooling mining dependents and luring them that mining activity will start soon after the elections.
He said prior to 2012 polls, it was the then Leader of the Opposition Manohar Parrikar, who alleged illegal iron ore mining scam to the tune of Rs 35,000 crore. After the elections, Parrikar said that it was Rs 3500 crore scam and not Rs 35,000 crore scam and then claimed that there was no scam but an attempt to corruption.
Alleging that every election, be it Assembly, Lok Sabha or Zilla Panchayat (ZP), the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) has been fooling the mining dependents over resumption of mining operations to gain votes, Khandekar said that mining dependents will be grateful to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant but the truth is that the mining will not restart.
He further said that the government should also tell the people about yet to be formed Goa State Mining Development Corporation.
Khandekar said that with Supreme Court dismissing mining companies, people have now lost their patience and appealed to them to be cautious in the ensuing Assembly polls and not to fall prey to chief minister’s election gimmicks any more.
To a question, Congress senior spokesman and party’s national media department panellist Trajano D’Mello, who was also present, claimed that if voted back to power, Congress will restart mining in Goa.
He said that Congress senior leader and Union Minister P Chidambaram has already said that the Congress is capable of restarting mining operations.
“Congress had legal brains and they will be put together and within the judgment we will resume mining activity”, he added.
