New Delhi: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi on Wednesday. The Chief Minister is expected to demand a special status for Goa and push for a financial package for those affected by closure of mining activity in the state.
An all-party will be meeting Prime Minister today and the Congress is likely to be represented by MP Francisco Sardinha in Delhi.
Goa's Leader of Opposition Pratapsingh Rane was also invited by Parrikar to be part of the delegation on behalf of his party, a senior Congress leader had said.
However, Rane had cited personal reasons not to join the delegation and might stay away.
"We are fully convinced that the delegation led by Parrikar is politically motivated. But in the larger interest of the state, Sardinha, who is an MP and also working President of the party's Goa unit will join the delegation," a senior leader had said.
Congress leaders in Goa were wary that discussions by the delegation might lead to a blame game between the Goa government and the Union government.
"If a blame game starts, our representative will expose how Parrikar was responsible for shutting down Goa's mining industry," he had said.
The delegation will ask for a special status to Goa, giving the state government a right to enact laws to restrict sale of land.
The delegation will also demand a Rs 3,000 crore financial package for people affected by the ban on iron ore mining in the state.
Sources in Delhi had stated that three ministers in the Parrikar cabinet, namely Mahadev Naik, Alina Saldanha and Avertano Furtado along with a posse of BJP legislators including Kiran Kandolkar, Anant Shet, Pramod Sawant and Ganesh Gaonkar have already reached the national capital.
With additional information from PTI
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