Panaji,  Former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Friday said that the Congress party will not allow regional cultures to be subsumed into the philosophy of 'One Nation, One Culture' promoted by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

 

Speaking at a Congress party meeting in Candolim village in South Goa, Chidambaram also said that the party would work towards preserving 'the Goan way of life', which he said was a top draw for the hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit the coastal state every year.

"Why do people come to Goa? Because it is green, the blue ocean, white sands, they come to Goa because of the people of Goa, culture of Goa and the song and dance of Goa. That culture must be preserved at all costs. it cannot be subsumed in what the BJP says 'One India, One Culture, One Language'. That is nonsense," the senior Congress leader0 said.

Chidambaram, who has been appointed as the senior observer for the upcoming 2022 Goa polls is in the state to carry out electoral preparations.

"India is a multicultural country. I am proud of the Tamil culture. You are proud of the Goan culture. Your culture must be preserved. The Congress party is completely committed to preserving the culture of every state. We will not allow anything to be done which will affect the culture of Goa," the Congress leader said.

Chidambaram also said that in order to preserve the environment in the state, the Congress government would not allow the setting up of a steel manufacturing plant in Goa and would continue to oppose moves by the state and central governments ruled by the BJP to turn the tourist state into a coal hub.

"Goa's development must be in accordance with our larger goals. I can't put up a steel mill in Goa. I can't make Goa become a coal hub. I can't ask people of Goa to breathe coal dust every day," Chidambaram said.

"Goa cannot become a transit state to transport coal which is imported through Goa to another plant in Karnataka or Maharashtra. Goa's development must be consistent with your aspirations, your needs, your environment," he added.

Chidambaram was referring to three central government development projects, which have been recently cleared by the state and the central government's Ministry for Environment and Forests involving road and rail track expansion and a power line transmission project.

Activists as well as opposition politicians in Goa have been demanding a review of the three projects, claiming that they were hurriedly granted permission during the pandemic, without due diligence.

Opponents of the projects have also alleged that the doubling tracking of railway tracks and expansion of the National Highway 4 would lead to increased transportation of coal imported to the Mormugao Port Trust in South Goa to steel mills in Karnataka's Bellary region.