PORT TOWN
NAME GAME
.............
VASCO
Residents in the port town have demanded with the government to remove the name “Sambhaji” from the earlier gazettes by issuing a new notification.
The residents said they do not want to know who is responsible for adding the name “Sambhaji” to Vasco-da-Gama on ration and National Food Security cards, but all they want was that government should issue a notification to remove “Sambhaji” from the 1971 and 2011 notifications and the gazette.
Speaking to The Goan, Shekar L Shirodkar said the government is playing the blame game. “Both the earlier governments and the present government are responsible for the fiasco,” said Shirodkar.
“The earlier Congress-led NCP government had vested interest in keeping the name Sambhaji in the gazette and the BJP government, taking advantage of the March 2011 gazette, introduced it on ration and National Food Safety cards on experimental basis,” added Shirodkar.
“If the citizens were to keep quiet, the BJP government would have used the issue to their advantage in the next election and as people protested, they passed the buck on the earlier government,” said Shirodkar.
A senior citizen, Datta Naik, said: “We are always used and thrown away. Earlier, the British government used the method of divide and rule and though we achieved freedom, all the governments including the present BJP government used the same method of divide and rule.”
“With the addition of Sambhaji to Vasco-da-Gama, the government wants to divide the peace-loving citizens of Vasco and the entire State,” alleged Naik.
“It is not only the issue related to Christians or for that matter other communities for lest the BJP government might make it a Catholic-related issue. The addition of Sambhaji is affecting and hurting the sentiments of each and every community,” added Naik.
“The government during the Winter Assembly session should come out with a notification to remove the name Sambhaji from the earlier gazettes in the interest of general public and before citizens come on the road in protest,” warned Naik.
Nazario Pinto of Sada said residents of Vasco are well known as 'Vascocars' and the government should not snatch this right. “We are not interested in knowing whose mistake it was or which party or politician was responsible for it. All we request the government is to issue a fresh notification and remove the name Sambhaji from the earlier gazettes,” demanded Pinto.
Hussain Khan of Baina expressed similar views and urged the government not to treat the issue as only of the Christians as they have taken the lead to agitate, but treat the issue on a larger scale as it has hurt sentiments of each and every community and the citizens of Vasco.
“I beg the government not to create a divide among the citizens of Vasco and solve this problem to maintain unity, safety and harmony of the citizens of Vasco,” urged Khan.
