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In Goa, Rahul Gandhi ‘guarantees’ to protect state from becoming ‘coal hub’
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is on a day-long visit to poll-bound Goa to interact with the party workers and fisherfolks. Assembly elections in the coastal state will be held early next year.
Terming the Congress' manifesto a "guarantee" and not merely a "promise", party leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday told the fisherfolks of poll-bound Goa that he will not allow the coastal state to turn into a "coal hub" (a polluted place). The Congress leader is on a day-long visit to Goa ahead of the assembly elections due next year.
“We will not allow Goa to become a polluted place. We will not allow it to become a coal hub. The most important thing that Goa has is the environment and that has to be protected at all costs. We are protecting the environment for everyone,” Gandhi said in Velsao, as quoted by news agency ANI.
"The party is coming up with a manifesto which will be transparent. We fought elections in Chhattisgarh and promised to waive the loan of farmers and we did it. You can go and confirm it in Punjab, Karnataka also. Whatever goes in our manifesto is a guarantee, not only a promise," the Wayanad MP added.
Gandhi slammed the Centre for the ever-rising fuel prices and reminded that during the UPA government, when international fuel prices reached USD 140 per barrel, prices were still lower in India.
"Today fuel prices are much lower in the international market but still you pay more. Today, India taxing fuel is the highest in the world. If you look carefully there are 4-5 businessmen who are benefitting from this," he said.
Gandhi's visit to Goa comes just two days after Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee began her three-day visit to the coastal state for interaction with party workers and the fishermen community.
Goa Assembly has a strength of 40 members out of which the ruling BJP has 17 legislators, along with the support of legislators from Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), Vijay Sardesai of the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and three independents. GFP and MGP each have three MLAs. Congress, on the other hand, has 15 MLAs in the house.
