PANAJI
Announcing a major political pushback against Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and the controversial Bhumiputra Adhikarini Bill 2021, State Congress president Girish Chodankar, on Tuesday, announced that the main Opposition party would organise a mass rally in the CM's constituency of Sankhali where 10,000 persons would gather in protest against the bill.
Dubbing leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party as 'Bharatiya Jumla Putras', the top Congress leader also dared Sawant to oppose the rally against the law, which Chodankar described as yet another act of "midnight dacoity" against Goa.
"We want to tell the 'Bharatiya Jumla Putras', that the Bhumiputra bill is an insult to the State intended at destroying its identity. We will start a Bhumiputra Yatra in the CM's constituency where 10,000 Goans will participate. We challenge the BJP and the BJP CM get your Bhumiputras and try to stop us," Chodankar told a press conference in Panaji.
The dare by Chodankar comes days after a Congress organised 'Sadbhavana rally' in the chief minister's constituency of Sankhali, was confronted by a much larger BJP group in a face-off of sorts.
Chodankar claimed that Goans from all sections of society had expressed their opposition to the bill and suggested that the ruling party believes in packaging its jumlas so well, that even poison, like the controversial bill, is re-packaged as chocolate.
"The name Bhumiputra suggests it is a good law, they package it like a chocolate. What it really is, is poison. This bill which has been brought before elections was discussed in all sections of society by us. Everyone is against it," Chodankar said, adding that the contents of the legislation would be against the very essence and existence of Goa.
"BJP has committed dacoity on Goa at midnight by stealing MLAs from MGP. The (Congress) alleged merger was at midnight. They do not want to discuss issues with people by taking their feedback, because they cheat all the time. Those who have clear intentions, they do things during the day, only dacoits strike at night," Chodankar said.
"They are raping Goa again and again destroying the very existence and identity of Goa," Chodankar said.
Chodankar also said that the Congress would petition the Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai later on Tuesday and formally articulate the party's opposition to the legislation, which is pending Raj Bhavan assent.
