Cautions against dangers of caste-religion politics visible in public spat
PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has broken his silence on the crisis in the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP), even as he warned that politics based on caste and religion would damage Goa’s unity.
“A political party cannot function on the basis of caste and religion. If people’s sentiments are hurt in this manner, unity cannot last long,” Sawant said on Friday, reacting to the resignation of RGP president and founder Manoj Parab.
Calling Parab’s exit “unfortunate”, Sawant acknowledged the hard work put in by the RGP leadership to build the regional outfit into a political force.
He said regional parties were important for democracy but cautioned that divisive politics would be dangerous for Goa’s future.
“What started as a movement in 2016 became a regional party in 2021. Nobody imagined they would secure nearly 10 per cent of the vote share in their very first Assembly election, even though only one MLA was elected,” Sawant said.
He praised Parab, RGP MLA Viresh Borkar, and the party’s team for their groundwork across Goa.
“Building a party across Goa requires tremendous hard work. I appreciate the efforts and performance of their entire team,” he said.
Sawant noted that Parab’s emotional resignation pointed to deeper internal tensions.
“The way Parab, who is a strong leader of the party, broke down yesterday over internal issues shows that there is serious concern,” he added.
