Kejriwal bats for direct fight between Gaonkar and Sawant in Sakhali
Panaji: President of Goa Mining People’s Front (GMPF) Puti Gaonkar joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday in the presence of AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in Panaji.
Likely to contest against Chief Minister Pramod Sawant from the Sakhali constituency during the upcoming state assembly elections, early next year, Gaonkar said his aim is to resume mining in the state and resolve all land ownership issues.
Welcoming Gaonkar into the party, Kejriwal said, “Joining of a leader like Puti Gaonkar will give a lot of strength to the AAP in Goa. Gaonkar has discussed many issues with me. He told me about the injustice being done to the mining-dependent families. I want to assure that if AAP comes to power, then mining will start in Goa within six months under the guidance of Gaonkar. We are going to meet the mining-dependent families and the families that are fighting for their land rights since many decades.”
Batting for a direct fight between Sawant and Gaonkar in Sankhali, the Delhi Chief Minister said, “All parties should withdraw their candidates in Sankhali assembly constituency and support Puti Gaonkar in that seat to contest against CM so that it will be a direct fight between the CM and Puti Gaonkar.”
He said, “AAP is the most honest party in the country. Corruption has become the main problem in Goa politics. Aam Aadmi Party is the only party that can give honest governance in the state. Many leaders of Goa have come and seen Delhi. The AAP government has been giving free electricity 24 hours a day in Delhi. They have seen the development in the education, infrastructure and health sectors and Goans want to see such development in their state.”
“At the time of Delhi’s first election, AAP won 67 seats and during the second election, AAP won 62 seats. This shows that Delhiites are very happy with AAP’s work. This is an unprecedented mandate. If Goa gives one chance to AAP, Goans will forget BJP and Congress forever,” Kejriwal said.
Speaking on the occasion, Gaonkar said, “AAP is the party that fulfils the promises it makes. A few days ago, I had a discussion with AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on mining, land ownership and other issues. All the promises made by Kejriwal in Delhi have been fulfilled. Be it good infrastructure or the promise of free electricity, they have done it all. They have done good work in health and education sectors. Inspired by his Delhi model, I joined AAP Goa.”
Stating that mining technically stopped in Goa since 2012, Gaonkar said it was done by former chief minister late Manohar Parrikar. “If BJP government has not started mining in the last ten years, do you think they will start now? They have vested interests,” he said.
Questioning why the BJP has been unable to restart mining in the state even when they have their own government in the state and at the Centre, he said AAP’s legal team has already started studying how to restart mining and added that he has provided them with documents.
Gaonkar had recently announced the formation of Goa State Navnirman Aghadi Forum, aimed at taking on the BJP at the upcoming state assembly elections.