Appeal to people to vote for candidates who will work to avert destruction of State
Social activists making a fervent plea to Goans to vote for candidates who will work to protect Goa from destruction.
MARGAO
Making an impassioned plea to the people of Goa to treat the upcoming polls as a semi- final before the 2027 finals to save Goa, members of the civil society on Tuesday urged the electorate to think twice before casting their votes in the December 20 Zilla Panchayat polls.
Asserting that they do not request the people to vote for particular candidates in the coming polls, the social activists appealed to the people to vote for candidates, who will work to save Goa from destruction.
Addressing the media, Fr Eremito Rebello said it is a shame that all the national TV channels have portrayed Goa as the most corrupt state in the country after the Arpora fire tragedy. “The Arpora fire tragedy is a homicide committed by the government. Time has come for the people to vote for the good candidates who will work for Goa’s future”, he said.
Fr Eremito said the group is not asking the people of Goa to vote for particular candidates, but they should think and decide who deserves the right to govern the state.
Konkani artist Rajdeep Naik said Goa’s name has been tarnished all over because of the corruption and the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. “Goondaraj is rampant with those voicing against the corrupt are attacked and beaten up. Don’t treat this like an ordinary election. Treat the December 22 ZP election as a semi final. “If we fail to win the semi-final, we will not reach the final in 2027”, Rajdeep said.
He added: “Think seven times before casting your votes. Don’t go by the dictates of the MLA and spoil your future. Think whether they will stand by us in the future. If we want to save Goa, we have to vote for people who will work against goondagiri”.
Making a fervent plea to the people of Goa of all religious backgrounds to think before going to cast their vote on December 20, Rajdeep said people should score a goal in the coming election in order to reach the final in 2027.
Activist Anthony D’Silva said he has been left to wonder whether Goans have become idiots by not encroaching on government and Comunidade land since the government has come up with the Mhaje Ghar scheme to legalise all legalise structures.
“Most Goans have not encroached on government or Comunidade land. Goans irrespective of caste and creed worked hard to purchase land to build and own a house”, he said, while demanding to know whether the BJP government is trying to teach the people of Goa a lesson for being law abiding citizens. “When you go to vote, bring the Mhaje ghar scheme in your mind how the scheme has benefited the illegal encroachers on government and Comunidade land”, he sid.
Activist Pratima Coutinho said the time has come for the people of Goa to vote for candidates who have a track record of serving the society. “We should not vote for candidates who will run away from extending helping hand when needed”, she added.
Activist Sheikh Iftiyaz said the people of Goa should cast their vote to save and protect Goa’s rich communal harmony for the future.
