CM Sawant says he does not favour Dodamarg's merger with Goa

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Saturday that he does not support the demand of merger of Dodamarg tehsil of Maharashtra with Goa.

Some leaders from Dodamarg in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district, which borders on Goa, have demanded merger of the tehsil with the coastal state.

Opposition Goa Forward Party and Congress had sought the Chief Minister's statement on the issue.

"There may be discussions on the issue but I am not in favour of merging Dodamarg with Goa," Sawant told reporters here on Saturday.

Goa and Maharashtra have certain "cultural differences" and "there is no question of merger at all", Sawant added.

GFP president Vijai Sardesai had claimed on Friday that Sawant was accused of buying huge tracts of lands in Dodamarg and that was why he supported the demand of its merger with Goa.

The chief minister said his purchase of property in Dodamarg was perfectly legal.

"I have purchased 21,000 sq mt of land in my name. If I had anything to hide, I would not have bought it in my name," he said.

"Some people who were involved in (shady) land dealings in Goa are behind such allegations," he said.