Panaji (Goa) After courting controversy over his statements on domestic tourists claiming them as “scum of the Earth” and hitting out at tourists from Haryana, State Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai today said that “there are also good people in Haryana.”
Sardesai was speaking during an event organized by Goa State Horticulture Corporation Limited in Panaji today where he referred to the recent controversy surrounding his statement.
“Haryana also has got good people and we are in touch with them,” the minister said referring to his meeting with Dr Avadhoot Shivanand of Shiv Yoga Foundation at Gurugram, Haryana to understand about Cosmic farming.
“These days we have been hearing about Haryana. Few days back, I had gone to Gurugram to meet Dr Avadhoot Shivanand of Shiv Yoga Foundation. He has been working on cosmic farming,” Sardesai said.
“He (Shivanand) says that the farming with celestial sounds needs to be promoted. He is not talking about magic, he has doctorate from Barkley university. There is some basis for his claims on this topic of cosmic farming,” the minister said addressing the farmers, few of whom were felicitated during the function for their performance.
“Haryana also has got good people and we are in touch with them. We are willing to work with Shiv Yog foundation. I had gone there with Director. We need to encourage local germplasm and give push to organic farming,” he said.
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had called his Goa counterpart Manohar Parrikar yesterday taking strong objection to the remarks of Sardesai where he had said that tourists including those coming from places like Haryana were creating nuisance on the road.
Talking to the farmers today, Sardesai emphasized for the practice of organic farming.
“If we (farmers and government) start giving push to organic farming, it would take ten years for entire Goa to be covered with organic farming. We are not too far from making Goa complete organic farming, we need to start from somewhere,” he commented.
“Farmers have successfully done the farming through organic means. In next year five years, the organic farming will be a buzz word in Goa. If we want to self sustained, we need to produce our own horticulture due to which we will not have to depend on the neighbouring states,” he added.
