MARGAO
Condemning the government’s move to table the anti-conversion law Bill in the ensuing Session of the Goa Legislative Assembly, South Goa MP Viriato Fernandes has urged Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to rise above partisan politics and reconsider the move.
The MP said that Goa was ruled by many Chief Ministers right from Dayanand Bandodkar to Pratapsing Rane, Manohar Parrikar, Dr Wilfred de Souza, Luizinho Faleiro and others, with people talking about their development work and mode of governance.
“Tomorrow, the people should not judge the incumbent Chief Minister as one who attempted to divide the religious communities on religious lines. My appeal to the Chief Minister is to rise above partisan politics. He should be remembered as the Chief Minister who had brought the Bill to divide the religious communities,” he said.
He added: “The first question that comes to anyone’s mind is why the anti-conversion Bill in Goa, which is a shining example of communal amity and peace in the country? In Delhi, the MPs and others acknowledge the communal harmony prevailing amongst the religious communities.”
The South Goa MP said there had been no data or even instances of conversion of people from one religion to another. “The FIRs filed in three cases by the police have been quashed by the Courts. This shows that there is no attempt at religious conversions in Goa,” he added.
