BJP candidate Santosh to take Vishwajeet head on for illegal mining
PTI, PANAJI | 26 September 2010 21:46 IST
Goa BJP today said rampant illegal mining in state's Sattari taluka will be amongst party's prime issues in Valpoi by-elections scheduled next month.
State President Laxmikant Parsekar blamed the sitting legislator and Congress candidate Vishwajit Rane for illegal mining activity in this taluka, which is robbing the constituency of its greenery.
"We will expose the illegal mining in Sattari and seek votes to save the region from being deforested," Parsekar said.
BJP today announced Santosh Haldankar as its candidate for Valpoi by-elections, to be held on October 16. He is younger brother of former BJP legislator Narahari Haldankar.
The constituency located in Sattari taluka in the North East of Goa has 17,500 voters, most of them farmers.
The by-election was necessitated after sitting legislator Rane, elected as an independent candidate, resigned and joined Congress to evade anti-defection law.
Talking to media for the first time after being nominated as the candidate, Haldankar held illegal mining and renewing of old mining leases as the reasons that ruined constituency.
"Rane is actively involved in this activity along with some other state ministers," Haldankar, a businessman by profession, said here.
He said Rane's plans would devastate constituency, which has Mhadei wildlife sanctuary as a part of it.
Rane, son of Goa Legislative Assembly Speaker Pratapsingh Rane, had won 2007 Assembly elections defeating BJP's sitting legislator Narahari Haldankar. Rane, who became health minister in Digamber Kamat cabinet, switched to Congress last month.
Fighting against the might and money power of the mining lobby is full of challenges!I dont know whether the Goan voters have become so mature as to know of the destruction the mining has caused to this beautiful states! And even if they know to vote against the might of the mining lobby!
All the honest people who love Goa should unite to defeat the corrupt people who have destroyed Goa and will destroy it further!