PANAJI
With opposition parties like AAP threatening to steal the Congress' thunder over protests at the controversial bungalow in Old Goa's protected heritage area, AICC official in-charge of Goa Dinesh Gundu Rao on Thursday demanded that either the Goa government or BJP national spokesperson Shaina NC -- whose husband is one of the project's promoters -- herself should voluntarily demolish the construction.
Addressing a press conference in Panaji, Rao also said that revoking permissions given to a project which was nearly complete, was like buying tickets to a train, when the train has already left the railway station.
"Take necessary steps to see that either the structure is demolished or request that BJP national spokesperson to herself voluntarily come and say this has been done illegally, I will bring the building down," Rao told reporters at a press conference in Panaji.
"Revocation is like the train has left the station and you want to go buy the ticket. It has already gone. What were you doing? Sleeping all this while? Why did they allow all this? A simple investigation will show what has gone wrong," he said.
"Whether CM has given instructions to the minister and did the minister give instructions to the officer, those facts should come out. If anyone is wrong, the CM should hold them accountable. CM is from BJP, the builder is from BJP, it is all completely in their control. When something illegal is done by the government, someone should be held accountable," Rao also told the press conference.
Congress' demand comes at a time when protests against the project, which was promoted by Shaina NC's husband Manish Munot and now former treasurer of the Goa Forward party Suraj Lotlikar's wife Suvarna, have peaked, with Aam Aadmi Party leader Amit Palekar even going on a fast unto death demanding the demolition of the structure.
Without naming AAP, Rao slammed the outfit for making the protests political in nature, adding that Congress was the first political party to take up the issue and said that it took a step back only after civil society groups opted to take to the forefront of the protests.
Rao also said that Congress was committed to protecting the identity and heritage of Goa, adding that one of the first decisions to be taken by a Congress-led government in 2022 was to order the demolition of the structure.
