CALANGUTE: Ramakant Khalap, the Congress candidate for the North Goa Lok Sabha seat, reaffirmed his pioneering role in introducing a Bill to reserve seats for women in Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies.
In a campaign meeting held in the Calangute Assembly segment, Khalap ridiculed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assertions about empowering women and ‘nari shakti’ through the Women’s Reservation Act, 2023. Khalap, a former Union Law Minister, stated that he had introduced a Bill for reserving seats for women as early as September 1996. However, the Bill failed to garner adequate support at the time.
Khalap also criticised the BJP government’s handling of major projects like the Mopa international airport in Goa, pointing out shortcomings in land compensation policies. “The land for the airport was acquired for Rs 34 per square metre. If the landowners wanted more, they were told to go to the courts. The land around the airport is now costing Rs 25,000 per square metre,” he said. Additionally, Khalap emphasised the urgent need for the State government to establish a land bank to safeguard land for future generations of Goans. “Let us create a land bank that will be reserved for future Goans. Let us think about the next generations. The Portuguese government had helped to preserve Comunidade lands for our Goans, but today the government is acquiring land to give to outsiders. There must also be restrictions on the sale of agricultural land,” he said.
Highlighting concerns about the continuous depletion of Goa’s land resources, Khalap said, “Whoever we elect as panchayat member, MLA and MP, that person must have love for the land of the State and must protect this resource. If we continue to sell our hills, what will be left for our Goans? We want our Goa for Goans.”
The campaign meeting was also attended by Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Patkar, former Speaker Tomazinho Cardozo, former Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes, and others.