MARGAO
Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho became the target of protesters as they demanded his immediate removal from the Pramod Sawant Cabinet.
Vasco MLA Krishna Salkar and Mormugao MLA Sankalp Amonkar too faced the brunt of the protesters as they demanded to know their silence, saying the trios silence at the programme suggesting that they have subscribed to the views expressed by Gautam Khattar.
Aam Aadmi Party president Valmiki Naik said that Minister Mauvin Godinho is seen every year at the feast of St Francis Xavier attired in a suit. “What message he is sending by keeping silent when Khattar made derogatory remarks against St Francis Xavier. Mauvin should resign. He should have stopped the speaker or staged a walk out. His silence means he has endorsed Khattar’s statement. Mauvin, Sankalp and Krishna owe an apology to the people of Goa,” Naik said.
AAP MLA Cruz Silva stated that BJP cannot see and accept the strong unity among Goans and is deliberately trying to create divisions. Referring to similar previous incidents of inaction when Subhash Velingkar made remarks against St Xavier, he said that failure of the BJP government to act and arrest in similar cases has made people fearless of hurting religious sentiments. He demanded immediate arrests of Gautam Khattar and Aapte and apology from BJP leaders present at the event.
AAP Senior Vice President Sandesh Telekar-Dessai stated that Goa has always been a land of unity and harmony, where communal tensions have never been allowed to take root. He accused BJP of attempting to disrupt this harmony through divisive politics and condemned the inaction against those who made offensive remarks.
