TMC releases alliance manifesto, MGP leaders conspicuous by their absent

The Goa Trinamool Congress on Saturday released its manifesto promising to restart mining in the state within 250 days of coming to power, to double the spending on health and education as well as to reserve 33% of all jobs in the government and the private sector for women.

The manifesto that was released by the TMC’s state leadership led by leaders like Luizinho Faleiro, Churchill Alemao and state party president Kiran Kandolkar alongside Goa state in-charge and Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra, however saw the main leaders of the alliance partner-- the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party give the manifesto release ceremony a miss.

The MGP instead deputed its working president Pratap Fadte as its lone representative for the release of the joint manifesto while the MGP state president gave the occasion a miss claiming he was under the weather. MGP candidates Ramkrishna “Sudin” Dhavalikar as well as its prominent candidates Jit Arolkar, Naresh Sawal and others weren’t present for the meet.

Fadte in his brief speech on the occasion expressed confidence that the manifesto will help propel the two parties to power in the state.

“I am confident that with the 23 promises we have made to the people of Goa, we will win the confidence of the people of Goa and that will help our candidates in the upcoming polls,” he said.

The TMC has said that the manifesto is the result of an extensive consultative process done over the last three months in the state.

“The 10-point manifesto has been in the works ever since TMC made its entry into the state in the month of October and is a comprehensive outcome of a series of extensive consultations with scholars, journalists, lawyers, community leaders, social activists, civil society members, and key stakeholders in various fields,” the party said on its release.

The manifesto also reiterated the TMC’s previously announced promises of ₹5,000 per month for one woman per household, called the Griha Laxmi Scheme, loans at the rate of 4% interest up to ₹20-lakh for unemployed youth to start their own business, and title and ownership rights of land under possession to all Goan families residing in the state since before 1976 and 50,000 subsidised homes to homeless families.

The party has also promised to boost Goa’s GDP size to ₹1.8 lakh crore (from ₹0.71 lakh crores), with an annual per capita income of more than 11 lakh and to create 200,000 new jobs to be created with 80% reservation for Goans and 10,000 vacancies in the government sector to be filled in 3 years.

The party also promised to double the existing fleet of state-run buses and provide 24×7 public transport, uninterrupted electricity supply, pothole-free all-weather roads along with functional drainage systems and piped drinking water to all households as well as state-of-the-art sports infrastructure and training facilities in every Taluka.

The TMC promised that it will modify the existing blanket ban on LED fishing and bull trawling and instead allow the environmentally damaging fishing practices but only outside India’s territorial waters.

“Boats from several other countries including China are coming and fishing in the deep sea using these methods so why should our trawlers lose out,” party leader Luizinho Faleiro said at the release of the manifesto.

The party also promised to revive to self-sufficiency in agriculture alongside instituting a cold-storage chain across the state and up-gradation and expansion of agricultural depots and mandis.

It promised to scrap the three linear projects (the doubling of the existing railway line, the expansion of the national highway and a new power line through Mollem) as well as to uphold Goa’s rights to Mhadei river waters and comprehensive waste management and garbage collection system to be incorporated with a 100% functional sewage network.

“We have made ten core promises that aim to transform the lives of every single person in Goa. Mamata Banerjee’s vision in the form of these 10 Promises shall continue to ensure holistic growth and development for all,” the party said.