Sardesai stresses on Parrikar's common minimum programme for

Goa Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai Saturday said he would walk out of the BJP-led government if it deviated from the common minimum programme chalked out under former chief minister late Manohar Parrikar.

Sardesai, chief of the Goa Forward Party, was talking at an NDA rally in support of BJP's South Goa candidate and sitting MP Narendra Sawaikar.

"If I find that the current government moves away from the common minimum program adopted by Parrikar-led coalition, then it would not take a single minute to walk out of the government," he said in presence of the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.

"But I have no reason to believe that I would have to walk out of the government. Pramod Sawant has assured that he would be following the common minimum programme charted out by Parrikar," he added.

He said that "special status" for Goa might not be possible but the state government can take special measures to protect "Goem, Goemkar and Goemkarponn (Goa, Goans, Goanness).

"When Congress president Rahul Gandhi had come to Goa, he had assured to give special status to Goa. I have been hearing about special status from my days as Youth Congress president. Several finance ministers have categorically made it clear that special status for Goa is not possible," he said.

"We can have special measures to protect Goem, Goemkar and Goemkarponn. We can have legislative measures for that and I am sure Narendra Sawaikar will do it," he said, adding that it would be done by taking a "middle approach" and striking a balance.