‘LET GOA REMAIN GREEN & SERENE’ ‘WANT DEVELOPMENT? VOTE FOR MODI’
Lajwanti D’souza chronicles high-profile candidates pitted against each other. Excerpts of interview…
Q: How are you placed?
A: Comfortably. After my involvement with NGOs, people know me for my work and contribution to society. That has given me an edge.
Q: What is your advantage over your rival?
A: People have been asking about their MP’s whereabouts. For 25 years, he has not been around. The sitting MP tells people he got the new airport in Goa done, but the truth is, after he arrived, the plane landed, but it was we who kept on fighting for the land. He talks about the Ayush hospital he built. He never says who fought for the land? We need to focus on the youth, and not on the construction of skyscrapers. We don’t need an overkill of tourism. Let Goa be serene, original and beautiful.
Q: Isn’t Congress campaign a little dim?
A: There are reasons. Putting together the India bloc took time. Our accounts were suspended and that grinded all our operations. Also, our donors were threatened.
Q: Who are your voters?
A: We have voters across all sects. Goa has been a land of peace. People of all religions, caste and creed have been living here peacefully and amicably for centuries.
Q: Your plans for the youth?
A: I was once IT minister. I enlisted the services of famous scientist Raghunath Mashelkar, also an adviser to the PM. I was influenced by Bill Gates’ philosophy of approaching business at the speed of thought and that greatly influenced me. Then Mashelkar gathered likeminded individuals such as Asim Premji, Narayan Murthi and said we can start with education and ensure government work is digitised reducing the paperwork.
Q: What is the poll plank of regional parties?
A: The major parties have eclipsed the existence of smaller parties. BJP inflated MGP’s popularity. Ditto in Congress during power tussle. Parties began to disintegrate, as did larger ones. There are no old-timers today in BJP.
Q: your message to youths? A: Elect smartly, protect Goa!
Q: How are you placed?
A: People will vote for Modiji following the progress they have seen.
Q: Promises you made earlier and the ones which have been fulfilled?
A: We utilised funds to secure jobs we had promised. I have built the All-India Institute of Ayurveda. I also started the new airport in Goa. I intend to convert the National Institute of Water Sports and cruise tourism initiated by me into larger entities. I have been involved in upgrading sports facilities. During my tenure with the Health Ministry, I upgraded the Goa Medical College and advocated for the establishment of a speciality hospital. Highways have been constructed. New bridges are also being built.
Q: Is there an overkill of tourism?
A: No. People want to come here often. Foreigners have lived here for years. So, I’m trying to ensure that all facilities are available for tourists. This also gives an immense boost to the economy. It also benefits the locals.
Q: Plans for the youth?
A: We shall create 8,000 to 10,000 jobs at the airport. The Ayurveda institute will also create jobs. It is not just beach tourism, it is also inter-land tourism. We are also interested in wellness tourism.
Q: People either travel to Portugal or seek employment on the ship?
A: It is beneficial as it reduces the strain on infrastructure, but shipping has always been a traditional professional choice. They get paid well. We are offering a variety of water sports courses that students can take up, train for and earn. We are also looking at skill development in a big way.
Q: Is the Congress campaigning dim this time?
A: After 25 years, the current Congress candidate is back in the fray. People elect me because of the work my party has done.
Q: Your message to voters?
A: Modiji initiated real progress in India. Congress focused on attempting to eradicate poverty and nothing beyond that. Vote for Modiji if you want progress.