Politics

Sharad Pawar Invokes Congress Defeat In 1977 to Inspire Opposition Unity

The chief of Nationalist Congress Party, Sharad Pawar, today said the current political ongoings are very similar to the ones in 1977 when a united opposition took on the might of a single party – the Congress.

The veteran political leader is one of the key middleman between the opposition parties that are trying to come together to foil the BJP’s bid for a second term in power.

“In 1977, the downfall of one party started, and at one point, the government collapsed. A similar situation can be a possibility now if the opposition comes together,” Mr Pawar told reporters, notably without naming the Congress.

The NCP chief’s comments came days after BJP’s defeat in the by-elections in Kairana, Uttar Pradesh wherein Mayawati and the Congress had come together to support the candidate of Ajit Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal.

The victory had other outcomes in Noorpur, the assembly constituency in Uttar Pradesh, which was won by the Samajwadi Party, and in Bihar, where Lalu Yadav’s RJD won the Jokihat assembly seat.

The idea of a united opposition was enhanced at the swearing-in ceremony of HD Kumaraswamy last month, as leaders of more than a dozen opposition parties got together in a huge show of strength.

The Congress and the JDS had come together in Karnataka at the last minute to keep the BJP out of power. In an unexpected move, the national party had chosen to play second fiddle to the regional partner – holding out hope for a new power equation for regional parties.

In 1977, after nearly two-year-long emergency, the ruling Congress was trounced in the general election by the Morarji Desai-led coalition, which remained in power till 1980.

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Goa’s tourism industry feels “powerless”

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Panaji: Goa’s tourism industry is facing a tough time due to frequent power cuts in the coastal belt of North Goa, which has a large number of hotels, guest houses, and rooms for travelers visiting the state.

Goa is facing a power crisis since the last 15 days with the state electricity department claiming pre-monsoon works have caused disruptions in the distribution network, causing frequent shutdowns.

Calangute MLA and deputy speaker of the assembly Michael Lobo admitted the situation in the tourist belt of North Goa is worst in the state as the industry has never seen this kind of load-shedding and power cuts.

“The impact on the industry is big. Right now all people are affected,” he said, referring to the tourism industry and locals living in North Goa.

“People and industry stakeholders are angry with the government. In a day, electricity cuts take place almost 20 times. There is load-shedding for hours,” Lobo said.

He said the industry, a key source of revenue for the government, is helpless as “generator sets are expensive and so also is the diesel which fuels them”. Lobo said the government’s failure to improve power infrastructure has led to the current crisis.

The legislator said owners of budget guesthouses and small rooms given on rent to holiday-makers are bearing the maximum brunt. “The impact is less on star hotels, who have automatic generator sets,” he said.

The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) has said they will petition the state government over the issue. TTAG president Savio Messiah said the industry has been suffering due to the power crisis.

“Fluctuations and load-shedding have become the order of the day. We have decided to take up the issue with the government,” he said.

A senior official of the electricity department said it would take at least a week for the situation to improve.”Pre-monsoon works are going on in full swing. All the issues would be resolved, but it will take a week,” he added.

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