Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday blamed former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for delaying the liberation of Goa from Portuguese rule.
Speaking at an election rally in the Bicholim Assembly constituency in North Goa, Shah also said that the party was on track to secure a hat-trick of wins in the state Assembly polls which are scheduled to be held on February 14.
"Goa got independence after a lot of sacrifice and struggle. It took a lot of time for Goa to be independent. Yesterday, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi while speaking in Parliament had raised this issue. Who is responsible for the delay in Goa's independence?" Shah said at the election rally.
"History is witness that if Jawaharlal Nehru's leadership was decisive, then right after India got independence on August 15, 1947, Goa should have been liberated soon after," Shah said.
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Goa was liberated from 451 years of Portuguese colonial rule by the Indian armed forces on December 19, 1961.
Shah also said that there are two options before the Goan voters. Either vote for a BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a stable and development-oriented government, or cast a ballot in favour of the dynasty-ridden Congress party, whose past regimes in Goa had been marked by anarchy and instability.
"The people of Goa have witnessed both governments. The Congress rule was marked by instability and anarchy. BJP's government was about stability and development. BJP has given Goa stability and development. This time all BJP workers are working for a hattrick in Goa," Shah said.
"People of Goa have to decide whether they want a BJP government or a government led by a dynastic party where there is no democracy," he said.
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