MARGAO
With just three MLAs from Salcete turning up for the 60th Liberation Day programme at the South Goa District Collectorate, questions were raised in the audience and outside “ where have the MLAs gone on the Liberation day function?
As deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar unfurled the tri-colour, realization dawned on the gathering that only three MLAs from Salcete, Churchill Alemao, Clafacio Dias and Wilfred D’Sa, besides Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Tendulkar were prominently seated in the front row in the audience.
Salcete lone Minister Filipe Neri, Opposition Leader Digambar Kamat, Goa Forward MLA Vijai Sardesai , besides Congress MLA Reginaldo Lourenco were conspicuous by their absence.
Margao Municipal Chairperson Lyndon Pereira, along with District Collector Ruchika Katyal, District Police Chief Abhishek Dania, IAS, Deputy Collector Jyoti Kumari, IAS, besides Margao councilors, freedom fighters were seated in the audience.
When the media sought to know from the Deputy Chief Minister the absence of the elected representatives for the function, Kavlekar said functions hosted on State and National days should not be politicized. “We may have political difference, but that should not come in the way of jointly celebrating the state and national days together”, he said.
Reminding that the 60th Liberation Day is not a function of the BJP only, the Deputy Chief Minister said all the elected representatives, irrespective of party affiliations, should come together to celebrate the occasion.
Earlier, after paying tributes to the freedom fighters at the martyr’s memorial at the historic Lohia Maidan, Margao, Kavlekar unfurled the tri-colour at the official function at the District Collectorate.
In his address, the Deputy CM recalled the rapid strides made by the state in the field of education and development over the last 60 years. He said if the state’s first Chief Minister Dayanand Bandodkar took education to the villages in the first few years of liberation, ex-Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar ushered in the development of the state across the state during his stint in office.
