PANAJI: The Church has defended the report of the independent fact finding committee in the wake of allegations by the ruling BJP that the report was targeted at polarising voters ahead of the Panaji and Valpoi by poll elections.
Speaking to the media, Fr Maverick Fernandes the Director of Caritas and former executive secretary of the CSJP has called Nilesh Cabral's statements as ‘empty'.
"Allegations can be made. Our reports have been based on analysis, based on interviews of people at the grassroot level and it has been based on a very solid, professional way of functioning. Empty statements of polarisation belittle the well studied report. He has to come out with straightforward rebuttal of every point that has been made. Statements cannot be considered a rebuttal of a well studied report," Fr Maverick said.
On behalf of BJP, the party to which he belongs, Cabral took objection to the fact finding team's report on desecrations while accusing the church bodies of attempting to polarise votes during the recently held by-polls.
"CSJP came out with a report that whatever police are doing was not correct. They said that they have formed some fact finding committee. We have a police machinery which is responsible enough. Who are these members of the fact finding committee and who has given them the authority to make statements against the police machinery? If they have any facts, they should have brought it to the notice of the police department instead of coming out with a statement during the election time, which was an attempt to polarise the votes. But, it worked out the other way," Cabral had said in a press briefing on Wednesday.
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CABRAL'S OUTBURST ON WEDNESDAY
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ON MAGAZINE REPORT
It was an attempt to polarise the votes during the recently held by-elections
ON CATHOLIC VOTERS
Catholics in Panaji voted for Parrikar. The magazine failed to polarise votes
ON DEFAMATION SUIT
Not bothered. Valpoi and Panaji bypoll results have conveyed the message
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A DAY LATER, CHURCH HITS BACK
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ON ITS MAG REPORT
Reports based on analysis, based on interviews of people at the grassroot level
ON VOTE POLARISATION
Empty statements of polarisation belittle the well studied report
ON FURY OF CABRAL
Come out with straightforward rebuttal of every point that has been made
