‘Political tourism will help…’ says Goa CM Sawant after Mamata Banerjee, Rahul Gandhi visit state ahead of 2022 polls

“This is political tourism. During the next four months, the taxi and hotel businesses, which had suffered due to the pandemic, would get a good business with such kind of tourism,” Pramod Sawant on visit to state by opposition leaders.

Amid the visit by the leaders of rival political parties ahead of the assembly elections next year, Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday called it “political tourism” and also said that it would help revive the businesses in the state that have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. With the state assembly elections due early next year, Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had visited the state in the past week.

Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant. (File Photo)

“This is political tourism. During the next four months, the taxi and hotel businesses, which had suffered due to the pandemic, would get a good business with this kind of tourism,” news agency PTI quoted Sawant as saying on Sunday. He also said that he wanted leaders of national political parties to visit Goa for the taxi and hotel businesses to grow.

The Bengal CM reached the state earlier on Thursday on a three-day visit, where she met with several party leaders and the electorate. The TMC also gained several new entries into the party, including Bollywood actress Nafisa Ali, Mrinalini Deshprabhu and renowned tennis player Leander Paes.

Rahul Gandhi visited the poll-bound coastal state on Saturday and alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre was “attacking” small and medium businesses. He also promised that his party would offer more jobs to the youth of the state.

During his day-long visit, Gandhi also took a ride on a two-wheeler taxi and said that he had a discussion with the driver. He also said that like the driver and the “lakhs of Goans” the Congress also wanted a change in the state.

In response, Sawant said, “I felt good that he rode pillion [in] a two-wheeler taxi. It must be the first time for him. We have been travelling on two-wheeler taxis and in rickshaws,” PTI reported. The Goan chief minister also commented on Gandhi’s interaction with the fishing community and said that he listened to their grievances “everyday” during his visit to the markets.

Meanwhile, the TMC and the Congress appear to be at loggerheads at the national and state levels. Recently Congress’ Goa election observer and senior leader P Chidambaram called the TMC “a marginal player” in the Goa assembly polls, during an interview with PTI while the TMC had recently commented that the Congress has “limited itself to Twitter space,” in its mouthpiece publication.

Adding to the contest in the state, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is also scheduled to visit the state on Monday. Both the TMC and the AAP have already announced that they would contest the state assembly polls.