Goa BJP chief clarifies Goyal's ''mini Portugal'' remark

Goa BJP chief Sadanand Shet Tanavade on Friday said Union minister Piyush Goyal's "mini Portugal" statement while talking about development in the coastal state was "usage of a wrong word". Goyal, while speaking at a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) function in Mumbai on February 15 had said that "if we work together to create mini-Portugal in Goa, we could truly make it a preferred destination for visitors around the world".

Claiming that the BJP leadership had spoken to Goyal, Tanavade said,

"He meant development in Goa should be done on the lines of Portugal. He might have used the wrong word. There is no need to create a misunderstanding on this."

Goa was a Portuguese colony for over 400 years before it was liberated in 1961.