Panaji, Dec 12 A day after the inauguration of Manohar International Airport in Goa, the Congress attacked BJP leaders for allegedly holding a meeting of office bearers and workers at the venue.
"BJP misuses the (public) funds. How can the Prime Minister hold a meeting of BJP office bearers and workers at the airport, which was a government event? Has the BJP funded the airport? Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Amit Patkar questioned.
Patkar on Monday addressed a press conference and said that the BJP is deriving political mileage through programs organised by the government.
"BJP is looking for opportunities to get political benefits by organising events," he said.
He alleged that thousands of people who were invited to attend the airport inauguration were disallowed at the venue.
"I condemn the act of not allowing people to attend the inauguration of the airport. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant should apologize to the people of Goa. The BJP had gathered people to turn it into a big event as the Prime Minister was inaugurating it. But they were not given a chance to enter the venue," he said.
He added that though it was a government function, the names of Leader of Opposition and South Goa Member of Parliament of the Congress were not mentioned on the invitation card.
"I also condemn for not publishing the name of LoP and South Goa MP on invitation. I want to tell BJP that this airport is not their private property," he said.
Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that the Congress could build only 70 airports in 70 years and it invested in vote bank, Patkar said that former should know that when Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister the country's exchequer was empty as the Britishers had robbed it while leaving.
"But in that situation too he had focused on institutions. He opened many institutions and made progress. Congress focused on health care, science, agriculture and building an international image," he said.
"Even the National Institute of Virology was established by the Congress, the importance of which we saw during the Covid pandemic," he said.
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