Mamata Banerjee greets Goans on 60th Goa Liberation Day, pledges to 'usher in new dawn'

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee extended her warm greetings to the people of Goa on the occasion of the 60th Goa Liberation Day on December 19. Pledging to "usher in a new dawn" in the poll-bound state, Banerjee saluted the supreme sacrifice of "all our freedom fighters".

Taking to her official Twitter handle, the TMC supremo wrote, "Greetings to all my Goan brothers and sisters on the 60th Goa Liberation Day. I salute the supreme sacrifice of all our freedom fighters. On this momentous occasion, come let us pledge to usher in a new dawn for our beautiful state and honour their sacrifice." 

Apart from the West Bengal chief minister, several other political leaders and ministers, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Union Ministers Amit Shah and Nitin Gadkari, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, also extended their greetings on Goa Liberation Day. 

Notably, the Trinamool Congress, which is all set to jump into the poll fray in Goa, has started full swing campaigning with party supremo Mamata Banerjee making several visits to the state ahead of the Assembly elections. The TMC's campaigning in poll-bound Goa has increased after former Goa chief minister Luizinho Faleiro joined the party. Earlier last week, Banerjee made a three-day trip to Goa, where Assembly elections are scheduled to take place in February 2022. 

The 40 member Goa Assembly, which currently has a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) majority has witnessed several visits made by opposition parties including the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress ahead of the 2022 polls. 

Goa Liberation Day

Goa Liberation Day is celebrated every year to mark the freedom of the state from Portuguese rule on December 19, 1961. As Operation Vijay, which liberated the coastal state from Portuguese rule completes 60 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a day-long schedule planned for today, including a series of programmes in Goa. 

After landing at the Goa University ground on Sunday, PM Modi arrived at the Azad Maidan where he laid a wreath at the War memorial. The Indian Prime Minister will be attending several events to mark the day in Goa, including a flypast and a sail parade. 

(Image: PTI)