Sanjay Raut appealed to all political parties to come together and fight for the cause
Shiv Sena lawmaker Sanjay Raut Wednesday said if Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted, he could resolve the issues plaguing Goa's mining industry in "five minutes".
Mr Raut met mining dependents who are staging a sit-in protest at New Delhi's Ramleela Maidan, and criticised the centre over the halt in the iron ore extraction industry in Goa, saying even the British and the Portuguese rulers in the country never went against people's livelihood.
Mining, which used to be one of two major sources of revenue in Goa, the other being tourism, came to a halt in March this year after the Supreme Court set aside the renewal of 88 mining leases.
Around 1,000 people, under the banner of the Goa Mining People's Front (GMPF), have been protesting at the Ramleela Maidan in Delhi since Tuesday, demanding an amendment to the mining law during the ongoing winter session of Parliament to enable the resumption of mining activity.
Addressing the protesters, Mr Raut said, "We witnessed British rule (in the country) and in Goa, you have seen the Portuguese rule, but they never went against the livelihood of the people."
"If the Prime Minister wants, he can solve the issue of mining dependents in five minutes," the Rajya Sabha member said.
The Shiv Sena leader appealed to all political parties to come together and fight for the cause.
He also suggested that a Goa bandh be observed to press for the demands.
"I would request Goa Congress MLA Digambar Kamat to lead the protest. All the political parties will join Kamat," he said, referring to the former state chief minister, who was present at the venue when Mr Raut was addressing the protesters.
This is not about any political party, but about the livelihood of people who are looking at a "bleak future", he said.
Mr Kamat said the BJP-led government should find a legislative solution to ensure that mining is resumed in the state.
"The BJP, which is in power in Goa and at the centre, should provide an immediate solution for the lakhs of people dependent on this industry," he said.