After a delay of 11 days, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday again declared the incumbent Chief Minister Pramod Sawant as the CM of Goa. Party sources confirmed that Valpoi MLA Vishwajit Rane and Sawant had a rough time for the central leadership.
In an exclusive interview after being named as the Chief Minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant talks about News18.comDelaying the announcement and touching on the road ahead.
Edited excerpt:
Why was there a delay in the announcement of the name of the Chief Minister of Goa?
This is a question you should ask our state and central party leaders, not me.
How did you see your prospects?
The elections were fought under my leadership. Simultaneous campaign by PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP state president JP Nadda helped us win 20 seats. Three independents extended their support to us.
You fought the election on the issue of development… Do you have a plan to build six megacities Goa on the lines of the Kashi Corridor?
Goa has never seen anything like this Development We have brought it with the help of the dual engine governance of the central government and the BJP. We are ahead in infrastructure development. We have converted PM Modi’s vision of ‘Self-reliant India’ into ‘Self-reliant Goa’. We are confident of making Goa self-reliant.
What does Goa need in terms of infrastructure?
We need to build modern roads and complete pending projects. We have got a lot of support from the central government to upgrade our infrastructure. From cities to towns, we will complete all our pending projects. we will open Mopa International Airport On 15th August we will complete all the infrastructure work in Goa with the help of “Double Engine Government”.
The second aspect is mining. It is necessary to start mining again. Third, we will focus on creating jobs for youth in both the government and private sectors.
A step was taken to make Goa an IT hub, why was that project not started?
Goa should become an IT and knowledge hub. We have invited various private and national universities to set up Aadhaar Goa, We have successfully passed the Private Universities Bill. I would like to proudly say that we have given offer letters to three-four private universities and three-four national universities like International School of Law. The National University of Forensic Sciences has already started construction in Goa and we will soon have an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Goa.
How has the mining ban affected the economy of Goa?
Goa The Supreme Court ban on mining has had an effect. Mining should start as soon as possible. We have made mining corporation and dump policy, based on which we can start full operation.
Will you bring anti-conversion bill in Goa like Karnataka and UP?
Goa is the only state which follows Uniform Civil Code. Keeping this in mind, we have to give some thought to the Anti-Conversion Bill.
will you make Vishwajit Rane Deputy CM?
The decision rests with the central leadership of our party.
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