Lok Sabha Polls 2024: In The Fight For North Goa, Congress Questions BJP Over 'Promised MOPA Airport Jobs'

Panaji: As the election heat soars up, the fight for North Goa seat has also heated up with Union Minister and five-time MP Sripad Naik pitted against former union minister and Congress veteran Ramakant Khalap.

The Congress candidate has hit out at the BJP leader for his non visibility in Goa. Khalap has also questioned the BJP candidate on how locals in Pernem were promised employment at the newly built MOPA Airport but the promises weren't delivered by the Central Government and the state government of Goa.

"The youth of Pernem were excited with the opening of MOPA Airport and saw it as a potential source of employment. However, it seems now their optimism has turned into frustration as the promised jobs have failed to materialize on the ground,"

The Congress' veteran leader has instead blamed Goa's CM Pramod Sawant for bias towards his own constituency Sanquelim. "It is a matter of concern. The locals near MOPA Airport were promised jobs but it seems preferential treatment is meted out to the people of Sanquelim, which is the constituency of CM Sawant. Recently, a group of locals also expressed their grievances urging Union Minister Sripad Naik to give justice to the demands of Pednekars. Unfortunately, the Pednekars till now have faced disappointment," Khalap added.

The Congress leader also said that this is the reason why Pednekars gheroaed Naik recently and their anger will be reflected via their votes.

Meanwhile, Naik has also retorted exhibiting confidence saying that Khalap wouldn't be able to defeat him as he failed to do so in 1999 also. "It was my debut election and he was a union minister, still he failed to defeat me. He won't succeed now also," Naik said.

The Lok Sabha polls in Goa will be held in a single phase on May 7.