n Says you will be in ‘trouble’ if you don’t solve mining issue n Threatens to rethink party allegiance to NDA
the goan I network
PANAJI
The Goa Forward party supremo Vijai Sardesai has warned the BJP that they will be in “trouble” if they do not solve the mining issue at the earliest adding that the Goa Forward party would rethink its support for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections if the issue isn’t solved by then.
Addressing the media at a press conference to induct Santosh Kumar Sawant a former Congressman and candidate of Maem constituency into the party at a city hotel, Sardesai said, “In Goa and at the national level the government is run by the BJP. They also are of the opinion that mining should be restarted. If that doesn’t happen then I think the BJP will be in trouble for the Lok Sabha polls. I can say this for sure,” Sardesai said.
“The upcoming election is very important for the BJP. The BJP should think long and hard about this. I believe that now since the Karnataka elections are done some resolution will come quickly. The government should take the ordinance route and mining should be restarted. This step should be taken quickly. I have even spoken to their [BJP] president Vinay Tendulkar and have told him that you will fall in trouble,” Sardesai said adding that the government needs to act quickly to salvage the situation.
“I’m speaking on the ordinance only because Goa’s mining subject is different from the rest of the country’s mining subject…. The shutdown is an injustice to the people of Goa. To bypass this, the only possible route is an ordinance. The govt has to take a clear stand that ‘We will go for an ordinance, no matter what… it is in the interest of the people of Goa we are taking this stand’,” Sardesai said.
“We are a member of the NDA but we will have to rethink our support if there is no attempt to resolve the issue,” Sardesai said.
“There is no reason for hesitation and it is my request to the ruling alliance and government to take this stand. The ordinance is basically to circumvent the decision of the judiciary. Because that decision affects the larger section of Goa,” Sardesai said.
When it was pointed out that BJP national leader Nitin Gadkari had ruled out the ordinance option when he was down in Goa ostensibly to meet the mining-affected, Sardesai said times have changed since then.
“At that time the situation was different, it was an initial stage and a legal solution in the form of an appeal that was being thought of. Although that is not discarded now. It clearly looks like this is the best possible solution,” Sardesai said.
Sardesai said that his party would rethink going along with the NDA in the elections if the government doesn’t resolve the issue quickly.
“Today’s alliance government is functioning and is stable because of us [Goa Forward party]. The Govt and the ‘dharma’ of the alliance, how to maintain that we know very well,” Sardesai said.
“None of the BJP leaders should worry too much about what we are doing because BJP should first worry about the Lok Sabha elections and for the Lok Sabha elections, till date, we have not thought about fielding candidates. Most likely we won’t have a candidate. So if they want all the votes and the votes of people like Santosh Sawant and his people, then they should take care of them. His votes Shripad Naik is scheduled to get. This is what they should think about,” Sardesai said issuing a veiled warning that he might not support the BJP in the Lok Sabha if they do not do as he wishes.
“If the government wants to show something, it needs to do something for the common man (to restart mining). If the govt falls short, then in the future the common man will not help the government,” Sardesai said.
