Panaji, April 9: The Congress on Thursday demanded that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant should release a white paper on the financial status of Goa, claiming that his regime had pushed the state into bankruptcy. "The admission by Sawant on Wednesday that the financial condition of the state is not good, is a clear vindication of the Congress Party's stand that the BJP government has pushed the state into bankruptcy and there is financial emergency in Goa," Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar said in a statement issued here.

"We have been raising these issues since November 2019, but the CM always tried to ridicule our claims. Truth always prevails, and the calamity of coronavirus has now compelled the CM to accept the reality," he also said. On Wednesday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had turned down requests for bailout packages made by the industry and business associations, saying the COVID-19 crisis had caused a financial dent in every aspect of life, including that of the government. Coronavirus Outbreak: Congress MLAs in Goa to Donate 30% Salary to COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Chodankar now wants Sawant to immediately announce austerity measures "for the next three years by completely putting a stop on foreign tours, promotional events and other wasteful expenditure such as construction of memorials", referring to the proposed memorial dedicated to former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar, for which the state government has set aside a budgetary provision of Rs 10 crore. "He should instead provide relief to people in need," Chodankar said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 09, 2020 02:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).