Goa: State left out, leaders have no sway at Centre, says Vijai Sardesai

PANAJI: Goa Forward Party (GFP) president Vijai Sardesai said on Saturday that while the state government is taking suggestions for the Goa budget from the public, it forgot to give its suggestions to the Central government for the Union Budget.
He said that despite both, Central and state governments being BJP governments, there is nothing in the Budget for Goa. With this, he said, one can conclude that the state leaders promises have no weightage at the Centre.
Sardesai said that GFP, along with like-minded parties including Congress and MGP, will bring up this and other issues such as Mhadei and CAA/NCR/NPR for discussion at the upcoming state assembly session.
“The Budget was 2.5 hours long, but the stock markets are unhappy. The Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry has said it is below expectations where Goa is concerned. I don’t understand how farmers will benefit. This Budget is nothing but an exercise in grandstanding. The speech was so long that even the finance minister became uncomfortable. This is only being done because the Delhi assembly polls are coming up,” Sardesai said.
Sardesai also said that chief minister Pramod Sawant had announced at the start of the year that 5,000 jobs are being created, but that in reply to a question for the upcoming assembly session, the government said that state is ‘unable to quantify the number’.