Goa: Cong criticizes BJP's workshop on “party values"

A two-day workshop organised by the Goa BJP to inculcate “party values” in its MLAs in Panaji, at a time when the state capital has been hit by severe water-woes, has come in for criticism from the Congress.

The water shortage is on account of a disruption caused by a landslide late on Friday, in wake of heavy rains, which washed away a section of the piping which ferries potable water from the Opa water reservoir to several areas in North Goa, including Panaji.

“In Panaji, children are going thirsty and without water and the BJP is hosting a workshop on ideology for the party’s MLAs. What kind of irresponsible behaviour is this by the BJP? This is the time when ruling MLAs should have been with the people of Panaji who are without water,” state Congress president Girish Chodankar said.

The water crisis in the state capital is an acute one, with Deepak Pauskar, Goa’s Minister for the Public Works Department stating that while the restoration of the ruptured pipes is being carried out on war-footing, the supply of potable water would be restored to Panaji only by Monday.

State BJP president Vinay Tendulkar rejected the criticism of Chodankar, saying the workshop had been scheduled weeks earlier and that MLAs would be sensitised to party ideology and various initiatives taken by the Bharatiya Janata Party governments both at the Centre as well as in other states.

“It is a good opportunity for us to sensitise our MLAs to BJP values and ideology. They will also be informed about the various schemes and initiative taken by our governments and about good governance principles,” Tendulkar said.

Over the last two days, BJP leaders including national spokesperson Nalin Kohli as well as party’s national general secretary Muralidhar Rao have conducted sessions for Goa’s lawmakers. The BJP MLAs also participated in a session on the need for the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammy and Kashmir.