Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa Forward Party (GFP) President and MLA Vijai Sardesai on Saturday slammed Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant for promoting his interests in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra.
Referring to a video of Sawant addressing a fish festival organised at Sindhudurg on Friday, Sardesai tweeted, “It seems that the idea behind seizing of farmlands from #Goan farmers and mass displacement of poor #Goemkars for Mopa is to develop tourism in #Sindhudurg! @DrPramodPSawant excited about better prospects for those in #Maharashtra than in #Goa! Truly #Sawantwadi!”
In another tweet, Sardesai said, “#SwayampoornaGoa is nothing but a grand illusion perpetrated on #Goemkars like every other @BJP4Goa election stunt! @DrPramodPSawant’s happy remark that Goa will never be #Swayampoorna not only betrays his own party slogan but also invites others to take advantage of it. Strange!”
Speaking at the fish festival, Sawant said there was vast scope for tourism in Sindhudurg and disclosed that the Mopa Greenfield Airport will be commissioned by August 2022. After commissioning, Mopa Airport will benefit both Goa and Maharashtra and Sindhudurg District in particular.
Sawant also gave brief details of ‘Swayampurna Goa’ initiative and Atmanirbhar Bharat and various schemes launched by the Narendra Modi government.
Sawant said that during the lockdown, he realised that Goa was depending on other States to meet its requirements like milk, poultry, vegetables etc and the government decided to be self-reliant.
The Goa government is paying Rs 20 crore subsidy to Maharashtra to meet its daily requirements.
The Chief Minister said people of Goa were grateful to freedom fighters from neighbouring Maharashtra and from Sindhudurg in particular for fighting to liberate Goa.
