MARGAO
Goa Forward Chief Vijai Sardesai on Wednesday said Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's statement accusing him of having an inflated ego and that he is anti-Bhausaheb Bandodkar, and the spirit of Goa, is nothing but yet another tactic to deflect public attention from the issue of the government's ignoring the commemoration of “Asmitai Dis” or the Opinion Poll Day.
He said the government has failed to commemorate the historic day even after promising to restart the official function meant to commemorate modern India’s first referendum that resulted in Goa maintaining its distinct identity and saving it from being merged into Maharashtra.
“I believe that the statement of Power Minister Sudin Dhavalikar, that no CM can be compared to Bhausaheb Bandodker, has pained the Goa Chief Minister, who likes to get his ego boosted by being unduly compared to his illustrious predecessors. I have full respect for Goa’s first Chief Minister and hold him in high esteem for ushering in India’s first democratic revolution by empowering Goa’s Bahujan Samaj through historic land reforms that gave ownership rights to Goan agricultural tenants. His invaluable contribution to establishing free educational facilities in the state cannot be erased from history,” he said.
He added, “As opposed to this, government primary schools are shutting down due to faulty policies, and Goa’s lands are being taken over by outsiders through collusion with the government in the tenure of the present Chief Minister.”
Sardesai reaffirmed that he belongs to a family that fought against the merger of Goa during the historic Opinion Poll and is aggrieved that the present government continues to insult the memory of Dr Jack Sequeira, Shabu Dessai, Udai Bhembre, Chandrakant Keni, Ravindra Kelekar, Ulhas Buyao, Shankar Bhandari, and other heroes of the historic Opinion Poll. “No one should attempt to teach me history or their version of it,” he asserted.
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Venzy calls out GFP chief over ‘u-turns’
Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas on Wednesday hit back at Goa Forward Chief Vijai Sardesai over the closure of government primary schools in the state, saying the government schools would not have been shut down had he not supported the BJP government in 2017.
Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas at the South Collectroate after a meeting with the district Collector on traffic issues. Santosh Mirajkar
He told the media that the people of Goa know that just because the Goa Forward Chief was instrumental in bringing the BJP to power in 2017, the BJP has caused a disaster in the state.
“I have not destroyed Goa. Venzy Viegas is not part of the destruction of Goa. I have no personal minimum programme. If I am going with files to the government, they pertain to public works and not a personal agenda,” he said.
Underscoring the need for a united opposition to take on the BJP government, Venzy said there is no need for Sardesai to poke his nose everywhere by making statements. “Sardesai made a U-turn in 2017 with Parrikar. And in March 2019, at around 2 am, there was no Asmitai for Sardesai, but only BJP Metaee,” he said.
He posed a question to the Goa Forward Chief regarding his stance on government policies on conversions and land development. “As an AAP MLA, Venzy does not agree with the government land policies. That means I am not converting land,” he said, adding that if Sardesai has the guts, let him say he is against the conversion of land at Seraulim and revert the land.
He said his statement correlating Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to Goa’s first Chief Minister Bhausaheb Bandodkar was portrayed differently to humiliate him. “Have you seen Venzy doing anything wrong? I have no skeletons in my cupboard. We are fighting the BJP. Since the BJP has sanctioned funds to take up repairs to two schools in my constituency, I had mentioned that the CM has no ego since he has cleared the projects,” he added.
