CM invites Vijai to begin 'Maad Yatra' from his house
VISHANT VAZE, BICHOLIM | 15 February 2016 21:54 IST
Coconut issue seems becoming an issue of public invites. Now, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has invited his opponent Vijai Sardesai to his house, to begin his state-wide ‘Maad Yatra’.
‘I invite Vijai Sardesai to my house in Harmal to begin his Maad Yatra. Let him see 1000 coconut trees I have planted in the settlement zone. I will make all the arrangements for him”, said Parsekar today.
In protest of deleting legal protection to coconut trees from the Preservation of Trees Act, Sardesai has now announced Maad Yatra from Pedne taluka, which belongs to CM Parsekar as well as forest minister Rajendra Arlekar.
While announcing the Yatra in Margao, the Fatorda MLA invited the chief minister to have a public debate on the controversial ‘coconut bill.’
In response to this, while addressing party workers in Bicholim, CM Parsekar today gave this open invitation to Sardesai to his house in Harmal in Pedne.
As the general public is getting agitated over the ‘coconut bill’, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has started taluka-wise meetings to educate their workers on the issue.
Forest minister Rajendra Arlekar explained at the convention how the previous Congress government had created problems for the coconut growers while amending the Preservation of Trees Act.
“We corrected the mistakes they committed so that the farmers growing coconut trees benefit, not those who want to cut coconut trees for other purposes. In fact coconut tree is included in the Act elsewhere”, he said.
He also attacked Sardesai, stating that the person who cut 70 coconut trees to build his house need not tell the BJP how to save coconut trees.
BJP WILL RULE FOR 5 MORE TERMS: CM
Today’s meeting, attended by around 1000 party workers, was meant for all the three constituencies of Bicholim taluka – Bicholim, Mayem and Sankhli.
CM Parsekar as well as Deputy CM Francisco D’Souza and other leaders at the convention assured workers that the BJP would continue in power with the increasing public support.
“The Bharatiya Janata Party would continue ruling Goa for the next 25 years”, said Parsekar, while explaining how many public schemes they have introduced in the last four years.
Hinting at Goa Forward, a new political party constituted at the initiative of Sardesai, Parsekar said: “they don’t know whether they are going forward or backward. Hope they know what they are doing.”
The CM also attacked all the opposition parties as well as all the three independent MLAs, including Rohan Khaunte and Bicholim MLA Naresh Sawal, of dipping down at immoral levels on the coconut issue.
BJP president Vinay Tendulkar also predicted that the opposition Congress would be marginalised further in the next Assembly election.
“They have already reduced from nine to seven before this Assembly ends. By next Assembly, not more than two to three Congress MLAs would remain in the Assembly”, said Tendulkar.
Beware of what you talk, This Common man is powerful than any party he knows all the tricks what you ‘all play on him, Schemes for women 1500, Senior citizen 2500 at whose cost. Common man cost- Increase in Tax, Common man having for lunch bread and wada because Dal is costing 220/- a Kilo. These 5 years is enough for you Mr. U-turn. You are losing Panjim CCP Election. Panjikar are very clever this time