After a delay of 11 days, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday announced incumbent Chief Minister Pramod Sawant as the Goa CM again. Sources in the party confirmed that the central leadership had a tough time picking between Valpoi MLA Vishwajit Rane and Sawant.
In an exclusive interview moments after he was named the Chief Minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant spoke to News18.com, touching upon the delay in the announcement and the road ahead.
Edited excerpts:
Why was there a delay in announcing the name of the chief minister of Goa?
This is a question you must ask our state and central party leaders, not me.
How did you see your prospects?
The elections were fought under my leadership. The campaign put together by PM Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah and BJP state president JP Nadda helped us win 20 seats. Three Independents extended their support to us.
You fought the elections on the poll plank of development…Do you have plans to build Goa on the lines of the Kashi corridor, with six megacities, etc?
Goa has never seen the kind of development we brought in with the help of the central government and the BJP’s double engine governance. We have been ahead in infrastructure development. We have converted PM Modi’s vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ into ‘Swayampoorna Goa’. We are confident of making Goa self-reliant.
What does Goa need in terms of infrastructure?
We need to build modernised roads and complete projects that are pending. We have got a lot of support from the Central government to upgrade our infrastructure. From cities to towns to villages, we will complete all our pending projects. We will open the Mopa International Airport on August 15. With the help of the “double engine sarkar”, we will complete all infrastructure work in Goa.
The second aspect is mining. It is important to start mining again. Thirdly, we will concentrate on generating employment for the youth, both in the government and private sector.
There was a move to make Goa an IT hub, why has that project not taken off?
Goa should become an IT and knowledge hub. We have invited different private and national universities to set up base in Goa. We have successfully passed the Private Universities Bill. I would like to proudly say that we have given offer letters to three-four private universities and three-four national universities such as the International School of Law. The National Forensic Science University has already begun construction in Goa and we will soon have an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Goa.
How has the mining ban affected Goa’s economy?
Goa has been hit by the SC ban on mining. Mining should begin as soon as possible. We have formed mining corporations and the dump policy, based on which we can begin full-fledged operations.
Like Karnataka and UP, will you bring the anti-conversion bill in Goa?
Goa is the only state that follows the Uniform Civil Code. Keeping this in mind, we will need to give the anti-conversion bill some thought.
Will you make Vishwajit Rane the deputy CM?
The decision lies with our party’s central leadership.
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