Panaji, April 8 (IANS): North Goa Congress candidate Ravi Naik said Tuesday he has not read the party's manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls, even as preparations are underway for the last round of campaigning ahead of April 12 election in the state.

Naik said he has not been able to read the manifesto because he has not been given the document yet.

"I have not read the manifesto yet because I haven't been given the copy of it, by the party yet," Naik said while addressing a press conference.

The election manifesto has been released by the state Congress last week, a few days after the Congress released its national manifesto.

Naik, who has been linked to Goa's drug mafia in a legislative committee report, also said that he was unaware of the election promise made by the Congress state unit in the manifesto, to appoint a central agency to probe Goa's narcotics market.

"What is that? I am not very sure. I told you, I have not read the manifesto yet!" Naik said.

Reacting to Naik' claim that he has not been given a copy of the manifesto, state Congress president John Fernandes said Naik's erroneous answer was because of nervousness and exhaustion caused due to constant campaigning.

"I am sure, if he logs on to our website, he can access the manifesto. He is exhausted and tired of campaigning and must have wrongly said that he hasn't read the manifesto," Fernandes said.