Pro-mining activists laid a siege to the private residence of Goa BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Tendulkar demanding that open cast iron ore mining in the coastal state be restarted.
While Tendulkar was not available, former state RSS chief Subhash Velingkar, who was among those who led the protest, said both the state BJP-led coalition government as well as the Centre had failed to live up to their assurances of mining resumption and were ducking their responsibility.
"The BJP has been promising that the law or ordinance would be passed in the recently concluded winter session of Parliament, but none of the three MPs in Goa even spoke on the issue. They are refusing to meet people who are jobless due to the mining ban. They are shirking from their responsibility," Velingkar told reporters.