MARGAO
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Mickky Pacheco on Friday stirred a hornet’s nest when he accused some volunteers under the guise of tourist guides misguiding visitors to the Old Goa Churches by making false claims on St Francis Xavier.
Mickky has warned the government to treat the matter as priority, and not to wait for any violent incident to wake up and rein in the miscreants.
The former minister also directed his tirade at Revolutionary Goans Party Chief Manoj Parab for his post allegedly criticizing a priest. He demanded that the RGP chief immediately withdraw the post, failing which he warned he and the people would show these people their place in their areas.
Addressing the media, Mickky appealed to the government to identify the group of volunteers disguised as tourist guides swarming around the Old Goa complex with the old motive to misguide the tourists and make false claims on St Francis Xavier.
“There have been instances which might have gone unreported, but such things are happening at Old Goa. I demand that the government and the police act against the miscreants and keep them at bay before their activities result in violence,” he warned.
He also demanded that the MLAs also take up the matter with the government to initiate action, and prove their credentials that they go to Old Goa to partake in the celebrations of the feast of St Francis Xavier with love and not just to show to the people.
“The government should immediately deploy police at the Old Goa complex. This should not happen. If I come across any such miscreant, I will not leave them. The government should then not blame the people for violence”, he said, while urging the government to check the antecedents of the volunteers and guides.
