the goan I network
MARGAO
With three days to go for the much-awaited public meeting at the Lohia Maidan, Margao scheduled on April 27 to demand scrapping of the RP-2021, the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) appears undecided whether to extend official support to the meet or leave the decision to the individual MLAs to attend the meeting and expressed solidarity with the people.
Congress MLA Reginaldo Lourenco has already announced his decision to attend the public meeting, but CLP leader Babu Kavlekar said the party has not taken any decision whether to extend support to the meeting, but made it clear that the government owes an explanation to the people of Goa how it has revived the RP-21 after six long years when it was dumped in the cold storage on the plea that the plan was bad.
The CLP had last week initiated a discussion on the contention Regional Plan issue, but the debate has remained inconclusive. In fact, both Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) Chief Shantaram Naik and CLP leader Babu Kavlekar has pointed out that the discussion has remained inconclusive due to difference of opinion on the issue. “The RP issue is a complicated issue. While there’s opposition to the revival of the RP-21, even the government is unclear which plan is being implemented in the state, RP-2011 or 2021. The CLP has initiated a discussion on the issue and the party will soon come out with a stand”, Naik said.
CLP leader Babu Kavlekar, on the other hand, admitted that discussions on the RP-21 issue have remained inconclusive till date. But, he had a question or two for the government. Taking potshots at the government, the Leader of the Opposition said the government owes an explanation to the people of Goa why the RP-21 has been revived now when the BJP government in 2012 had put the plan in cold storage, with a promise to come out with a new plan. “If you read the governor’s first address to the Assembly after the 2012 election, it is clear that the government had promised to come out with a new plan. The BJP, however, owes and explanation, why the 2021 plan has been revived in 2018 when the very plan was put in cold storage six years ago in 2012 on grounds that it was bad”, Babu asked, while demanding that the BJP-led coalition government should answer this question.
