MARGAO
The BJP ST Morcha has demanded an apology from Congress MLA Altone D’Costa for his remarks directed at the Goa Legislative Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar.
BJP ST Chief Prabhakar Gaonkar and vice-president Anthony Barbosa said the party will intensify the demand for an apology after receiving instructions from the party leadership.
Addressing the media, Barbosa said that the Congress MLA has not only offended Ramesh Tawadkar, who is an ST leader but has insulted the office of the Speaker, established under the constitution.
He wondered what was the Congress MLA trying to achieve when a resolution moved by BJP MLA Ganesh Gaonkar last year on political reservations for the Scheduled Tribes was already unanimously accepted by the House.
Taking offence to certain remarks made by the Quepem Congress MLA against him, Barbosa said he had contested the 2022 Assembly election from Curtorim and polled around 2500 votes in a constituency considered the stronghold of the Congress. “The Congress MLA has sought to misguide the people by saying I had polled just 1500 votes when Curtorim has more than 7000 ST votes. The claim made by Altone is false and aimed at misguiding the people,” he said.
Saying the Congress has never helped the Gawdas, Kunbis and Velips to get the ST status, Barbosa reminded that it was the BJP that was instrumental in bestowing the ST status on these communities in 2003, exuding confidence that the party will soon realise the dreams of the ST communities by giving them political reservation.
