Panaji, Feb 25 (TOI): BJP has no intention of solving the ongoing mining crisis, Congress said, and its state general secretary Yatish Naik said as long as BJP was in power at the Centre and in state, no solution to restart the industry would be forthcoming.

Naik also asked Lok Sabha MP and Ayush minister Shripad Naik about the latter’s assurance that the Centre would come out with a solution to restart mining operations by February 15. “It is becoming clear that BJP has no intention of solving the mining issue. Every problem has a solution, but in this case, the problem is that there is no government intention to work out a solution,” he said.

Naik was speaking at the state Congress headquarters where he announced that Congress would support the mining belt bandh call given by Goa Mining People’s Front (GMPF) on February 26. He said since the February 7, 2018 Supreme Court order, the state and central governments have failed to find a legally sustainable solution.

“If we want to solve the mining issue, which is legally sustainable then BJP has to go out of power. If you can’t solve the problem then, please quit the chair,” Naik said, before listing out the various promises and assurances that BJP leaders had made on the issue.

“Where is Shripad’s mining solution that was supposed to come by February 15?” he asked. Later, Naik pointed out that different BJP leaders were making contrary statements on the resumption of mining, while chief minister Manohar Parrikar remained tightlipped. He asked why a delegation had gone to Delhi to meet the prime minister about the situation, if the final decision on mining was to be taken by the state government and not the Centre.