VASCO
Unfazed by criticism of being insensitive to a differently-abled person by refusing to hand him a three-wheeler just because he turned up 10 minutes late for the distribution programme, South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha on Friday insisted on the importance of punctuality and said the beneficiary had not been denied the vehicle because he came late.
"I had called all beneficiaries at 10.30 am and I had a meeting at 11 am. But being a beneficiary, can the person arrive after 11 am? I had to go to the meeting and I have now decided to give him the vehicle on Sunday. It has not been cancelled but has just been delayed by two days,” said Sardinha, while responding to queries from media persons after a meeting at Dabolim airport.
“We are giving the vehicle only because the beneficiary is differently-abled but people must learn to come on time, especially the beneficiaries," said Sardinha.
"I don't care about politics being made on the issue because I have been here for ten terms and people know me and they know what I can do, what I don't do and what I don't like to do. I am a disciplinarian and I will never be late. If something goes wrong, you can always phone and tell, but we cannot wait for you, especially when you are a beneficiary," said a defiant Sardinha.
