Panaji, April 12: Referring the statement of Goa unit BJP president Sadanand Shet Tanavade that they have guts to tell even the Karnataka media that the state government will not compromise on the Mhadei river issue, Congress in Goa has dared BJP leaders to show the ‘guts’.
Recently Tanavade had said that “Even if the Karnataka media questions us on the Mhadei issue, we will make the statement that the government will not compromise on this issue, we have the guts (to make a statement),”
“This guts should have shown by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant , who campaigned in Karnataka in the second week of March. Instead of showing these guts, Sawant spoke in Kannada and said that ‘Svalpa Svalpa Kannada Mathadene’ (I can speak little in Kannada). This he did to garner votes,” Amarnath Panjikar, Chairman of Congress Media Cell, said.
Panjikar said that it is evident with the act of Pramod Sawant that he supports Karnataka on Mhadei issue and whatever Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said seems to be true.
In January, during a rally in Belagavi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said: “Today, I am here to tell you that the BJP at the Centre has resolved the long dispute between Goa and Karnataka over Mhadei and allowed the diversion of Mhadei to Karnataka to satisfy the thirst of farmers of many districts.”
“Pramod Sawant and other leaders of BJP have now got good opportunity to clarify on this issue, when Amit Shah will speak in public meeting in Goa. Forget about speaking in front of media in Karnataka, let the BJP leaders make statement in Goa that, that too in front of Amit Shah that whatever their central leader said was wrong. Show your guts in Goa itself,” Panjikar said.
“Goa is eager to see your guts on the day when Amit Shah will address public meeting in Goa and also during BJP leaders of Goa campaign in Karnataka. If they fail to do so, then people of the state will call them ‘Masters of U-Turn’,” Panajikar said