Panaji, Feb 10 (PTI) Launching an attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said if Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru wanted, Goa could have been liberated “within hours” in 1947 when India attained independence, but it took 15 years for the state to be freed from Portuguese rule.
Addressing an election rally in Mapusa near here ahead of the February 14 assembly polls, Modi said the Congress has been treating Goa as its “enemy” and same treatment continues even now which can be seen through the constant political instability imposed upon the state by the party.
In his speech, the PM also took a veiled swipe at the TMC and the AAP, saying some political parties are treating Goa only as a launch pad for their vaulting ambitions, and also spoke about revival of the key tourism industry in the state, but his focus was largely on the Congress.
“The Congress has never understood the political culture, aspirations of youths of Goa. They always have had a feeling of enmity towards Goa,” the Prime Minister said as he campaigned for the BJP, which is seeking a second straight term in office.
Modi said there are several historical facts that are kept hidden from people.
“Two-three days back I had spoken in Parliament and told the truth to the country how the Congress destroyed the liberation movement of Goa,” he said.
The Prime Minister said “Many people do not know that Goa got liberated 15 years after India’s independence. (After independence) India had a force in the form of the Army, a strong Navy..the work (liberation of Goa) could have happened in a few hours, but the Congress did not do anything for 15 years.” Goa, liberated on December 19, 1961, was a part of the Union Territory of Goa, Daman & Diu till May 30, 1987, when it was carved out as a separate state.
Modi said the Congress “abandoned” Goa when people were struggling for its liberation and satyagrahis were facing bullets.
“The Congress government did not come to their rescue,” he said, continuing his attack on the country’s oldest political party.
Modi said Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, in his speech from the Red Fort had specifically said they will not send the Army to liberate Goa, leaving its people to fend for themselves.
“Is this the way to deal with Goa? The Congress had such thoughts about Goa earlier and even now,” he said.
The PM said the Congress, which is now seeking votes from Goans, has repeatedly pushed the coastal state, whose history is characterized by political volatility and defections, into instability.
The BJP star campaigner then shifted his focus on the Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which are seeking to make a big impact outside their strongholds of West Bengal and Delhi, respectively, and dubbed them as outfits which are using treating Goa only as a launch pad for their own political aspirations.
“Some political parties are treating Goa as a launch pad for their own aspirations without knowing anything about Goans and Goa,” Modi said in the speech.
These parties do not know that the people of Goa want a government that will work for them, he added.
“They (people) will never want a government which does not have a vision or agenda. These parties do not understand Goa, they have come here but they are in the dark about what announcements they should make,” the prime minister said.
That was why they were promising in their manifestos things which the BJP government has already accomplished, he claimed.
The people of Goa have asked these parties not to bring their “culture of violence and riots” here, Modi further said.
The PM also brought up the issue of tourism, a huge source of government revenue and livelihood in the coastal state, and maintained the pandemic-hit sector has seen a revival thanks to rapid vaccination.
He said the target of 100 per cent vaccination against coronavirus achieved by the Pramod Sawant-led BJP government has helped in revival of Goa’s tourism industry.
“During the last two years, the world has been facing the worst-ever pandemic situation. The pandemic severely impacted the tourism industry,” he said.
The PM highlighted the milestone of India administering over 150 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses.
“Imagine if the government was being run like in the past (by other parties), what would have happened? Would the country have been able to give 150 crore vaccines? If there was no double engine government, would Goa have become the first state in the country to achieve 100 per cent vaccination?,” he asked.
He said in the past India used to be dependent on other countries for vaccines, but now the situation has changed.
“We had to wait for 30-40 years to get the vaccine. If country had fallen short of vaccines, how would have the economy grown…how would have tourism got revived,” the PM said, highlighting the fact that India has now become a leading vaccine manufacturer in the world.
The Prime Minister said the increasing tourist arrivals show Goa’s transformation under the BJP rule.
“Ten years ago, when the Congress was in power, only 25 lakh tourists used to visit Goa annually. Their number has crossed the 80-lakh mark now. When we focus on tourism and create necessary infrastructure, it benefits the state’s economy and also creates employment opportunities,” he said.
The PM presented the BJP as the only party which can ensure Goa’s all-round development.
“People today have a choice between a development-oriented BJP and an instability-prone Congress party,” he said.
The PM said for the BJP, the word Goa has a different meaning wherein ‘G stands for governance, O for Opportunity and A for aspiration’.
“In the field of governance, Goa has become a model state in the country. I congratulate (Chief Minister) Pramod Sawant and his team. The work that you have put in is huge,” he said.
The Prime minister mentioned various schemes that have attained full compliance in the state and claimed that “100 per cent coverage of any scheme is a true form of secularism.” Goa, which has a 40-member assembly, has decided not to let the wave of good governance diminish so every electorate will vote for the BJP in the next week’s assembly polls, he said.
The counting of votes will take place on March 10. PTI RPS VT KRK RSY RSY
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.