Headline Corrected: Goa CM: Voters Should Prioritize National Issues in Upcoming Election

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday appealed to people to think about how issues like one nation, one election will benefit the country when they vote in Lok Sabha elections. All the issues mentioned in the Congress manifesto have been resolved by the BJP-led government, he claimed.When asked about the Mhadei Mahadayi river water diversion issue, Sawant said it is a national issue involving three states.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday appealed to people to think about how issues like 'one nation, one election' will benefit the country when they vote in Lok Sabha elections. Sawant addressed a meeting of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies of BJP in Goa. ''Although state-level issues are important, the priority should be given to the issues of national importance during general elections,'' he told reporters after attending the meeting.

''We should think about the nation during this election. We should consider nation first and think how issues like 'one nation, one election' will benefit the country,'' he said. The chief minister claimed the BJP-led government has resolved issues such as Overseas Citizenship of India, reservation for women, and political reservation for people from Scheduled Tribes (ST) in the Goa assembly.

''The crucial issue of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) will be resolved by the BJP government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged during his recent public meeting that the fishing community in Goa existed even before its liberation,'' he said. Sawant assured of providing complete protection to houses of fishermen under the CRZ.

Targeting Congress, Sawant said the opposition party has printed its poll manifesto as a formality. ''All the issues mentioned in the Congress' manifesto have been resolved by the BJP-led government,'' he claimed.

When asked about the Mhadei (Mahadayi) river water diversion issue, Sawant said it is a national issue involving three states. ''The matter is pending in the Supreme Court. For Congress, it is a political issue, but not for us,'' he said.

Goa is locked in a bitter feud with Karnataka over the diversion of the river water. South Goa and North Goa seats in Goa will vote on May 7.