PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday once again reiterated his government's push to rebuild and renovate temples destroyed during the Portuguese colonial rule at a media event in Delhi where he was interviewed by Prafulla Ketkar, the editor of RSS mouthpiece.
“In the 450 years of Portuguese rule, there was a destruction of Hindu culture and many people were converted. Temples of the State were destroyed. We are going to rejuvenate all of this. What’s wrong in that? I believe wherever there are temples in destroyed condition, they should be rebuilt. This is my firm opinion,” Sawant said, in the course of the interview.
Sawant also spoke of the allocations made in the Goa budget of Rs 20 crore for renovation of temples.
He also linked the move to renovate temples to the State government's intention to take tourism beyond Goa's beaches and promote cultural and spiritual tourism in the hinterland.
“In every village, there are a couple of temples. We have to take people from the beach to the temple,” Sawant also said.
Part of the interview was also dedicated to the debate over the Uniform Civil Code, which Goa is the only State in India to implement, a legacy of the Portuguese colonial rule.
Sawant said, Goa follows a Uniform Civil Code and that he believes other States must follow suit.
“I say proudly that Goa has been following a Uniform Civil Code since liberation. I believe all other States must follow the UCC," Sawant said.
Another issue that was touched upon was the "14 year period" between the Independence of India and Liberation of Goa, where Sawant sought to blame the then government of India for the 'delay'.
“India got independent in 1947. Goa achieved liberation in 1961. I wish to ask who is responsible for this 14-year delay. This should be discussed on an open platform. People from across the country struggled for the liberation of Goa and had to take bullets from the Portuguese. That should also be discussed,” he said.
