Goa CM Pramod Sawant accuses Arvind Kejriwal of creating Centre vs state issues

Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday accused his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal of creating Centre versus state issues, after the latter claimed that the Goa government was working under pressure from the Centre.

The Twitter war between the two leaders started on Wednesday, after Sawant advised Kejriwal to be concerned about pollution in the national capital, instead of speaking about Goa.

In a tweet on Thursday morning, Kejriwal urged the Goa chief minister to hear out those opposing the double tracking of railway line.


The Delhi chief minister said he understood that the Centre was forcing the project on Goa, but the state government should say no to the plan to make Goa a coal hub.


In response to this, Sawant tweeted that doubling of the railway tracks was a "nation-building exercise".

"We will not allow Goa to become a coal hub. Knowing your expertise in creating centre vs state issues, we will skip your advice," Sawant said, hitting back at the Delhi chief minister on the micro-blogging site.

Kejriwal had this week hailed the people of Goa for their efforts to protect the environment and accused the state's BJP government of suppressing public protests.

Several NGOs and opposition parties are objecting to three projects in the coastal state power transmission, National Highway expansion and double tracking of the railway line.

People against the projects have claimed that the proposed ventures will help multinationals to transport coal from Mormugao Port Trust (Goa) to their plants in Karnataka.