Congress candidate for Panaji bypoll, Girish Chodankar today said his opponent and Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has "failed" to resolve various issues plaguing the constituency which he had represented in the past.
The AICC secretary, a confidante of the party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, is pitted against Parrikar for the byelection scheduled on August 23.
The bypoll was necessitated due to resignation of sitting MLA Sidharth Kuncalienker who vacated the seat for Parrikar who is yet to become a member of the Goa Assembly.
Parrikar sworn in as chief minister in March this year.
"Panaji is still grappling with so many issues though the BJP has been represented the seat for the last 23 years," Chodankar said in a written appeal addressed to people of Panaji.
Taking a swipe at Parrikar who had assured that the issues concerning the state capital will be resoved in a year, the Congress leader said, "...The BJP and their chief minister have the audacity to say that all issues of the city will be resolved in 365 days".
"Despite the former MLA of Panaji (Parrikar) serving as chief minister of the state thrice and also as defence minister, he has miserably failed to tackle the problems. Just see the mess and destruction of our Miramar beach due to beaching of a casino ship there because of an irresponsible governance," he said.
Chodankar also accused Parrikar of "fooling" people and doing a "U-turn" after voicing his strong opposition to offshore casinos anchored in Mandovi river.
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