PANAJI
The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday said it is offering tickets to Benaulim MLA Churchill and his supporters to go to Delhi to celebrate Christmas there and get to know the real truth behind the demolition of the Little Flower Church.
AAP Vice president Captain Venzy Viegas stated that finally truth triumphs in the case of the church demolition after Archbishop Kuriakose Bhalangikuran thanked the party’s national convenor and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for his timely intervention and for providing a temporary prayer centre.
While addressing the media on Wednesday, he said, “Many politicians have been spreading false information that AAP is involved in the demolition of the church. Churchill, along with his supporters, visited Delhi and tried to politicize the issue to get the limelight. I am ready to provide tickets to Churchill and his supporters to celebrate Christmas this time in Delhi.”
He further said, “Last week AAP’s Goa delegation went to meet Archbishop to follow up the issue. We interacted with him and we got to know how the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) under the guidance of the Central government demolished the church.”
“There were 200 police officials deployed at the demolition site. The priest at the church told us everyone came to offer support at the time of demolition. However, they were seen nowhere afterwards. Only the Kejriwal government followed up on the issue and promised every sort of help for facilitating the rebuilding the church,” he added.
AAP Vice-president Pratima Coutinho said, “It was Kejriwal who followed up the case and kept his promise. After going to Delhi, we came to know that E K Peter, a former member of the same church trust had a hand in the demolition. He is also a close aide of an ex- BJP MLA. He took the MLA’s help to get contacts in DDA and get the demolition order passed. Although this was done under the guidance of the BJP, everybody kept blaming the AAP. Finally, truth prevailed and political smear campaign to protect the BJP was exposed”.
AAP Minority Wing Vice-president Gerson Gomes said, “St Cruz MLA Tony Fernandes earlier said that he will collect money from all Christian MLAs and will provide it for the construction. Currently, his own party has been found involved in the illegal construction inside Old Goa’s heritage precinct. Why he hasn’t raised this issue? Why he is keeping quiet in the Old Goa matter? I want to ask what is his contribution to building a temporary structure in Delhi?”
