PANAJI: GPCC Working President Sunil Kawthankar condemned alleged anti-Hindu slogans raised during a protest at Azad Maidan in Panaji against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) issue, and demanded that the DGP conduct a thorough investigation and identify those responsible.
Addressing the press on Thursday, Kawthankar said Congress had seen videos showing individuals allegedly raising slogans against Hindutva. He clarified that the protest aimed to oppose the SIR exercise and raise concerns about electoral integrity, not hurt religious sentiments. “We condemn this in the strongest possible terms. The protest was organised against the SIR issue, against Gyanesh Kumar's actions, and against compromising Indian democracy and elections. It was never intended to hurt anyone's religious sentiments in Goa,” he said.
Drawing a parallel with the controversy over Gautam Khattar's alleged offensive remarks about St Francis Xavier, Kawthankar said the same standards of accountability should apply in both cases. “When it comes to maintaining communal harmony, Goa must enforce a zero-tolerance policy, whether it concerns Muslims, Christians or Hindus,” he said.
The Congress leader alleged that communal incidents surface when the BJP faces political pressure, citing movements such as the Goa Rakhan Yatra and election-related controversies. He also claimed that the timing of the slogans could be politically motivated to divert attention from corruption allegations against the state government.
Kawthankar urged the authorities to identify those attempting to inflame communal tensions and establish whether the incident was politically sponsored.
