MARGAO
Anti-coal protesters, beware. Chances are that you may come face to face with the ruling MLAs or their supporters if you dare question or criticize the powers that be in the ongoing anti-coal and track doubling agitation.
If supporters of Congress-turned-BJP MLA Wilfred D’Sa came face to face with the anti-coal protesters at his residence earlier this week, supporters of Cuncolim MLA Clafacio Dias rallied behind the MLA at his office at Chandor on Friday, condemning attempts made to malign his image via the social media vis-Ã -vis the ongoing agitation.
The Cuncolim MLA was at his Chandor office on Friday, wherein his group of supporters stood by him, by condemning attempts to show the MLA in poor light.
Explaining the sequence of events to his supporters, Clafacio pointed out that he had descended on the track doubling work site at Guirdolim on Saturday despite the fact that the Assembly session had wound up in the wee hours of the day.
“I got the Railways to stop the work at the site. And, also asked the Railways to demarcate the site and submit the details,” Clafacio said, while saying that he had acted in the best interest of the people.
He, however, lamented that a woman from Chandor made a video of the site inspection and made it viral by using abusive language against him, saying how can he be accused of desecrating the crosses in the state. His supporters in one voice later condemned the video directed at the MLA, even saying the MLA has done the right thing by lodging a complaint with the police.
Guirdolim Deputy Sarpanch Brian Pereira demanded that the police should verify the claim made by the woman on the desecration of crosses and initiate strict action after an inquiry. “I was criticized in the video that I was holding papers, but these papers were of the reminders the panchayat had written to the Railways to submit the master plan,” Brian added.
This is the second time in less than a week that ruling party MLAs, facing heat from the anti-coal protesters in Salcete, have got their supporters to come to their defense.
Earlier this week, close supporters of Nuvem MLA Wilfred D’Sa had come face to face with the anti-coal supporters when the latter came to question him over his decision to abstain from voting on the three linear projects.
D’Sa and his supporters were quick to defend his action, demanding to know whether the 10-20 protesters wanted the MLA to get disqualified when he has been elected by 10,500 voters.
