Panaji: With elections to the two Lok Sabha segments in Goa barely three weeks away, the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) has offered seat sharing talks with the INDIA bloc but has laid down three conditions.
The demands are to scrap the Mhadei river diversion and mention the same in the Congress party’s national manifesto, demolishing of all the illegal slums and ‘bastis’ on the communidade land and government land in Goa and mention the same in their state manifesto, and to accept RGP’s POGO bill or define ‘who is Goenkar’.
At a press briefing at the RGP office in Panaji, party chief and its candidate for North Goa seat Manoj Parab said that they are giving them (INDIA bloc) time till April 20 to decide on the demands. St Andre MLA Viresh Borkar was also present on the occasion. RGP candidate for South Goa seat is Rubert Pereira.
“We are serious on seat-sharing in the interest of Goa and Goenkars. If these three conditions are accepted and we get an assurance from them, then we will discuss the seat sharing with INDIA bloc,” said Parab.
Goa will go to the polls on May 7 in phase 3 of the parliamentary elections. The last date for the filing of nominations is April 19.
Support must be unconditional if RGP wants to defeat BJP, says Congress
Margao: Outright rejecting the RGP’s seat-sharing proposal, state Congress president Amit Patkar said the INDIA alliance “does not want to fall into any trap of the BJP”.
Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, rejecting the RGP’s proposal, termed it an election st+unt aimed at misguiding voters. “We are confident we are going to win both seats very comfortably,” he said.
Reacting to RGP’s demands, including that on the Mhadei River, Patkar said everyone in Goa knows Congress’ stand on the issue, adding that “RGP’s three demands make no sense as the POGO bill was thrown out when party MLA Viresh Borkar submitted it to the legislature secretariat”.
GFP chief Vijai Sardesai said if RGP wants to defeat BJP then they should unconditionally support INDIA bloc.
Replying to a question on whom the Congress high command will stand by, the Karnataka government or Goa, on the Mhadei issue, Congress observer Manikrao Thakare said that the Congress high command will take PCC leaders into confidence and decide on the issue.
The alliance partners also lashed out at the BJP, stating that one of their top leaders in Karnataka is on record stating that settlement on the Mhadei issue was done with the blessing of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
Patkar said Congress was instrumental in setting up the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal and that the PCC will continue with its stand on protecting the Mhadei River and Goa’s interests.
Thakare said, “The INDIA alliance will address the issue once elected.”
GFP chief Vijai Sardesai questioned why the state government failed to pursue the matter with the Supreme Court as it is not getting listed.