OLD GOA
The Gomantak Bahujan Mahasangh (GBM) has warned Opposition MLAs against targeting only Minister Govind Gaude over the slab collapse of Kala Academy’s open-air auditorium.
Speaking to reporters in Panaji on Wednesday, Mahasangh members informed that Gaude is a tall leader of the Bahujan Samaj and he is being targeted only because he belongs to the Bahujan community.
“We are not going to tolerate this and we warn the Opposition MLAs that they will have to face the consequences at the forthcoming Lok Sabha as well as the Assembly elections,” Mahasangh’s secretary Vijay Teluskar warned.
Further, Teluskar informed that when the work of Kala Academy was taken up, Gaude himself had suggested that the open auditorium needs to be demolished.
The structural audit of Kala Academy was done by three agencies, Goa College of Engineering, Gem Engserv Pvt Ltd, Mumbai and IIT-Madras.
“The two agencies GEC and Gem Engserv along with the government was of the opinion that the auditorium should be demolished. However, Charles Correa Foundation then went to the High Court and in consultation with Radhakrishnan Pillai of IIT-Madras said that the auditorium should not be demolished but should be refurbished.
“If the auditorium was demolished that time itself, then this incident would have not occurred,” Teluskar opined while stating that it shows that Minister Gaude had no role whatsoever to play in the incident.
“So, targeting only Minister Gaude shows that some people cannot tolerate a person from the Bahujan Samaj becoming a minister,” he said and added that the community is strongly behind Gaude and he should not resign as demanded by the Opposition MLAs.
However, the Mahasangh members said that thorough investigation has to be done in the matter and the guilty brought to book as stated by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
GBM Vice-president Manguesh Chodankar and GBM executive member Satish Korgaonkar also spoke on the occasion.
Speaking to reporters in Panaji on Wednesday, Mahasangh members informed that Gaude is a tall leader of the Bahujan Samaj and he is being targeted only because he belongs to the Bahujan community.
“We are not going to tolerate this and we warn the Opposition MLAs that they will have to face the consequences at the forthcoming Lok Sabha as well as the Assembly elections,” Mahasangh’s secretary Vijay Teluskar warned.
Further, Teluskar informed that when the work of Kala Academy was taken up, Gaude himself had suggested that the open auditorium needs to be demolished.
The structural audit of Kala Academy was done by three agencies, Goa College of Engineering, Gem Engserv Pvt Ltd, Mumbai and IIT-Madras.
“The two agencies GEC and Gem Engserv along with the government was of the opinion that the auditorium should be demolished. However, Charles Correa Foundation then went to the High Court and in consultation with Radhakrishnan Pillai of IIT-Madras said that the auditorium should not be demolished but should be refurbished.
“If the auditorium was demolished that time itself, then this incident would have not occurred,” Teluskar opined while stating that it shows that Minister Gaude had no role whatsoever to play in the incident.
“So, targeting only Minister Gaude shows that some people cannot tolerate a person from the Bahujan Samaj becoming a minister,” he said and added that the community is strongly behind Gaude and he should not resign as demanded by the Opposition MLAs.
However, the Mahasangh members said that thorough investigation has to be done in the matter and the guilty brought to book as stated by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
GBM Vice-president Manguesh Chodankar and GBM executive member Satish Korgaonkar also spoke on the occasion.
