Panaji, May 30 (IANS): Criticising the renovation of the ministerial block at the cost of Rs 10 crore, Goa Forward Party has said that it is "nothing less than an insult to the women of Goa" as the BJP government has failed to provide three free cooking cylinders.

The reaction from GFP came ahead of the inauguration of the renovated 'Mantralaya' (Ministerial Block), which is scheduled on statehood day on Tuesday.

According to GFP, "during the assembly election, the BJP had promised to give three LPG cylinders free to garner votes and in return cheated women of the state".

Advocate Ashma, Vice President of Goa Forward Party, strongly condemned the extravagant renovation of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's office, which cost approximately Rs 10 crore.

"This excess is nothing short of an insult to Goan women, especially when the BJP government says it has no funds to fulfil their manifesto promise of providing three free gas cylinders to them," she stated.

"While Goan households continue to struggle with rising costs and economic hardships, it is deeply disheartening to see the government of Goa prioritising the egoistic desires of the Chief Minister and the BJP over the pressing needs of the poor and marginalised sections of our society. This wasteful expenditure on the Chief Minister's office is farcical, and demonstrates a severe lack of empathy and understanding of the ground realities faced by Goan women and their families," Ashma said.

The GFP leader called upon the government of Goa to immediately re-evaluate its priorities and redirect resources towards projects that genuinely benefit the people.

"It is unacceptable to us that the Chief Minister must indulge in lavish renovations, that too of his own office, while many essential needs of Goan women, who form the backbone of our society, remain unfulfilled.

"We urge the Chief Minister to take immediate steps to provide the three free gas cylinders promised to Goan women. The people of Goa deserve a government that is committed to their welfare and places their needs above personal vanity," she added.

Earlier, GFP legislator Vijai Sardesai had said that due to the steep rise in the price of cooking gas and the BJP government's failure to provide free LPG cylinders, people in the rural areas of the state are forced to rely on firewood for cooking.

"Today, the situation is such that people are storing bunches of firewood in their homes," he added.

Sardesai also said that the promise of providing free cylinders had gone up in smoke.

"The fanfare with which this scheme was announced remains only on party leaflets now. The Chief Minister has cheated our mothers and sisters with his false promise," Sardesai said.