the goan I network
VASCO
AAP members have now challenged the government to cancel their next venue for the meeting, the South Western Railway Community hall in Vasco, on Tuesday, at 4 pm.
Addressing a news conference in the party office at Baina, AAP Spokesperson Sandesh Telekar asserted, “Come what may, we will go ahead with Kejriwal’s meeting as planned at the South Western Railway Community hall at Vasco on Tuesday at 4 pm. If the government has guts, we challenge them to cancel this venue also.”
“The AAP booked the MPT hall on June 21. But on Monday morning, one day ahead of the meeting, we were informed that the hall was not available. Efforts to contact the institute officials proved futile as they refused to attend to our calls and were not available when we went to meet them at their office. The booking amount has also not been refunded to us,” said Telekar.
“The governments at the centre and the state are scared the aam aadmi (the common people) might attend the meeting of Kejriwal and vote for the party candidate,” he added.
“MPT is playing dirty at the last minute as it is afraid that its illegalities of encroachment might come to the fore during the meeting,” said Telekar.
Fr Michael Fernandes said the traditional fishermen had filed cases in the National Green Tribunal against MPT for dredging that is being carried out to widen and deepen the channel.
“After hearing the local fishermen, the Tribunal had directed MPT to deposit Rs 50 crore. The MPT is now trying to get even by cancelling the venue at the last minute,” said Fr Fernandes.
“Since the institute hall is a public undertaking, cancellation of the venue by MPT is unethical,” added Fr Fernandes.
“The government at the Centre is all out to harass the AAP in Delhi and does not want to see the growth of the party in other states,” added Fr Fernandes.
The priest said it was clear that while Kejriwal is showing solidarity with Goan fishermen, the government is trying to jeopardize it through institutions like MPT. “The government will never succeed in its mission, as it is the people’s movement and revolution,” said Fr Fernandes.
Hall sec says instructions
came from chairman
VASCO: Justifying the cancellation of the Mormugao Port Trust Institute hall for the AAP meeting, the hall’s secretary Cruz Mascarenhas said he had received orders from the his president Joseph Silveira and the MPT chairman to cancel the booking of the venue.
“As per the by-laws, we cannot allot the hall for political meetings. We were not aware that the hall was booked by a political party,” Mascarenhas told
The Goan.
When asked why they had in the first place accepted the booking for the hall, Mascarenhas replied, “The person who did the booking was new and he did not know the bye laws.”
When brought to his notice that the hall was previously used by political parties to hold their meetings and for political functions, he feigned ignorance and declined to comment.
