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THIS IS WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY
I don’t think there is a religious colour to this I-T notice to the church. The notice has been sent only to know the position on that day.
- Deputy Chief Minister Francis D'Souza
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Donations from various churches go to the Archdiocese and hence, the I-T department may have felt the need to merely ask the Archdiocese to provide cash details
- Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral
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I am not aware of the issue, as I have not read The Goan newspaper. I will give my comment only when I study the matter
- Aldona MLA Glenn Ticlo
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NOT AVAILABLE FOR COMMENTS
* Calangute MLA Michael Lobo
* Vasco MLA Carlos Almeida
* Cortalim MLA Alina Saldanha
* Dabolim MLA Mauvin Godinho
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Refuting claims that the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman had been selectively targeted by the I-T department, Deputy Chief Minister Francis D'Souza felt there was no need to panic as the I-T notice was a routine matter and not to harass anyone.
Mindful of growing anger among the Catholic Community in the State over the I-T notice issued to the archdiocese, Catholic BJP legislators have sought to downplay the issue by claiming that the Church had not been selectively targeted by the I-T department.
“I don’t think the church was selectively targeted. Notices are sent to know what amount of money the institute had on that particular day (when the demonetisation came into effect),” said Deputy Chief Minister Francis D'Souza.
“I don’t think there is a religious colour to this I-T notice to the church. The notice has been sent only to know the position on that day.”
D'Souza, however, hinted that people could be using religious institutions to offload their black money.
“There is a possibility of people using religious institutes like churches or temples to route their black money. But yes, notices should go to all religious institutions,” he said.
Asked if he would intervene in the matter on behalf of the Catholic community, D'Souza replied in the negative.
“I don’t find it necessary to speak to my government on this issue. There has to be some reason to petition to the government. There’s no need to panic. This notice is routine matter. If the I-T had conducted a raid, it would be a different issue. It’s not to harass anyone. People should not get worried,” he said.
To another query on whether this emotive issue could have a bearing on BJP's poll campaign in the minority-dominated areas, D'Souza was circumspect in his reply.
“I don’t know. Anything could happen in the elections. We will have to see how things pan out until the elections are announced,” said D'Souza.
Efforts were made to contact all Catholic BJP MLAs as well as Dabolim MLA Mauvin Godinho, who has virtually abandoned Congress and has joined hands with BJP, to seek their comments on the I-T notice, especially when other religious institutions in the state had not received such a notice.
Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral claimed that the I-T notice had only gone to the archdiocese and not, individual churches in the State.
Seeking to draw differences between temples and the archdiocese in the State, Cabral said: “Temples in Goa do not have huge donations, unlike some of the very large temples in other parts of the country. In Goa, there are small and independent temples with limited income/donations.”
“On the other hand, donations from various churches in Goa goes to the Archdiocese and hence, the I-T department may have felt the need to merely ask the Archdiocese to provide details on its cash books and cash in hand.”
Asked if the decision to single out the church could have a bearing on the BJP in the 2017 elections, Cabral hit back: “The opposition is trying to politicise this issue. I think people should think rationally about this decision and should understand that such notices has been sent to many big religious institutions across the country.”
While Calangute MLA Michael Lobo, Vasco MLA Carlos Almeida, Cortalim MLA Alina Saldanha and Dabolim MLA Mauvin Godinho were not available for comments despite several attempts to contact them, Aldona MLA Glenn Ticlo claimed he was unaware of the issue.
“I am not aware of the issue, as I have not read The Goan newspaper. I will give my comment only when I study the matter,” said Ticlo, who represents a constituency with a significant number of Catholic voters.
