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TALKING POINT
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DELIVERING A TIRADE
RADHARAO GRACIAS
* Fr Eremito Rebello should explain to the people what went wrong with his movement since he had kept away the political class from sharing his platform
CHURCHILL ALEMAO
* When Fr Eremito came out with his anti-Mopa movement, he did not allow the politicians to share his platform, though I had always opposed the airport
REGINALDO LOURENCO
First, two of our senior congress leaders were instrumental in giving their green signal to Mopa. Then Churchill merged the SGF into the Congress. The politicians have let down the people
VIJAI SARDESAI
I had launched the anti-Mopa movement after the 2012 election, but had to discontinue with the campaign after Fr Eremito came with the GFDO
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The politicians are taking the lame excuse by pushing the blame on me. Can these politicians tell the people whether I had at any point of time told them to stop their movement
- Fr Eremito
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A day after the BJP took a step forward towards realizing its avowed goal of having a new international airport at Mopa, notwithstanding reservations raised from the tourism stakeholders from down South, the political class from Salcete “ the epicenter of the decade and half year old opposition to the new airport “ were locked in a bitter blame game, pointing accusing fingers at each other, including Goans for Dabolim Only (GFDO) convenor Fr Eremito Rebelo.
If Congress Legislative Party (CLP) spokesman Reginaldo Lourenco blamed party’s two senior leaders for giving a push to the Mopa airport at the beginning, Nuvem MLA Mickky Pacheco accused MLAs from Salcete honeymooning with the ruling government for their silence on the issue.
Former PWD Minister, Churchill Alemao, UGDP leader Radharao Gracias, besides Mickky Pacheco also pointed accusing fingers to GFDO Convenor Fr Eremito Rebello. Radharao went a step forward when he demanded that Fr Rebello owes an explanation to the people of Salcete in particular and South Goa in particular over his failure to stop the BJP government from going ahead with the new airport.
Says Radharao: “That the BJP has laid the foundation stone for Mopa just around election time indicates that that the party cares a damn for Salcete and South Goa. The timing of the foundation stone has sent a clear message to South Goa that the government is going ahead with Mopa irrespective of the sentiments of the people”.
The UGDP senior vice-President demanded that GFDO covnenor Fr Eremito Rebello explain to the people what went wrong with his movement since he had kept away the political class from sharing his platform. “Political decisions can be overruled only by the political class. But, in the case of Mopa airport, Fr Eremito did not allow the politicians to share his platform. Since he was enjoying close ties with the BJP leaders, including late Matanhy Saldanha and his wife Alina, we thought Fr Eremito would use his influence to get the airport scrapped, Radharao said.
Former PWD Minister, Churchill Alemao expressed his unhappiness over the government’s decision to lay the foundation stone for the Mopa airport. “I don’t believe in the promise made by the government that Dabolim airport will co-exist with Mopa. Unless the Union Civil Aviation Ministry gives in writing that both airports will co-exist, Dabolim will be shut down one day”, Churchill said
Asked why Salcete politicians failed to get Mopa scrapped when it has been a power house in the political scheme of things, Churchill claimed he had always objected to the airport, both within and outside the Cabinet, but in vain. ‘When Fr Eremito came out with his anti-Mopa movement, he did not allow the politicians to share his platform, though I had always opposed the airport”, he said. But, when reminded that he has been accused for sabotaging the anti-Mopa movement by merging the Save Goa Front into the Congress, Churchill shot back “you think, we could have succeeded in scrapping the airport with just two MLAs. If the people had to give us the mandate, we would have continued the battle on the SGF banner”.
Congress MLA Reginaldo Lourenco, however, did not agree with Churchill. He said the merger of the Save Goa Front into the Congress was the turning point in the movement against Mopa. “First, two of our senior congress leaders were instrumental in giving their green signal to Mopa. Then Churchill merged the SGF into the Congress. The politicians have let down the people”, Reginaldo stated.
Independent MLA Vijai Sardesai said he had launched the anti-Mopa movement after the 2012 election, but had to discontinue with the campaign after Fr Eremito came with the GFDO. “I remember then Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar accusing me in the Assembly for trying to divide the people of Goa into North and South. I also remember Parrikar saying that he would better deal with people such as Fr Eremito and work out a solution. All this did not leave any scope for me to carry the movement further,” Vijai added.
Fr Eremito, however, begged to differ. “The politicians are taking the lame excuse by pushing the blame on me. Can these politicians tell the people whether I had at any point of time told them to stop their movement. No doubt, GFDO was an apolitical movement. And, it is also a fact that GFDO did not allow any politician to share our platform given my bitter past experience. But, at the same time, nothing prevented these politicians from continuing their movement”.
Meanwhile, the GFDO has called for a meeting of the organization to discuss the airport issue arising out of the government’s decision to lay the foundation stone for the Mopa airport and chalk out the future course of action.
