THE GOAN: Chief Minister, Pramod Sawant recently said that conversions take place in Goa. Do you agree with the CM’s view?
JOSHUA D’SOUZA: There are conversions happening all around the world. Everybody is free to choose whatever religion he wants. We are living in a free country. I don’t understand what he (CM) was trying to say…I don’t think what is happening is unconstitutional. So I don’t see what the problem is. I am sure he (CM) has some facts and that is why he has spoken on those lines. But there are a lot of people switching to Islam, Christianity and Hinduism. There are also inter-religious marriages taking place.
TG: There is a general perception that the BJP is using the religious card to drive a wedge among sections of the society to achieve electoral gains. What do you think?
JD: I think there could be a section of people that are trying to play this sort of games. I am a person from minority community living in a majority dominated area. My father who was also an elected representative lived here. But whatever may be their agenda, it will not work in Goa. I don’t think it has worked prior to this and I don’t think it will ever work here. Everybody lives in harmony in this State. We recently celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Milagres in Mapusa where people from different religious background “ Hindus, Muslims and even Believers “ came to pay respect to Mother Mary. People from different religious backgrounds attend each other’s festivals during the Ganesh, Diwali, Eid and Christmas. It gives us so much pride and joy to see this. This is not something that happens in other States. It’s very unique and we need to ensure that this continues for the next generation.
TG: Former CM Manohar Parrikar toed a moderate line and believed in taking all sections of the society together. The current BJP leadership appears to have abandoned this view and embraced a hard-line stand.
JD: Former CM, Manohar Parrikar believed in inclusive politics. He was a person who had the support of everyone. That is the mark of a true leader. To be able to be accepted by everyone is not easy especially when you come with the background of RSS. He had the support of religions institutions across all sections of the society. Everyone one was a fan of Parrikar. His inclusive ways of moving ahead is very important. We need to ensure that we maintain his idea of what he wanted for Goa. I think all MLAs and ministers must ensure that we take forward what he started. It is because of him the BJP is at its strength today. If we are in the majority today and running the government for the last 10 years it’s because of him. We should move forward with inclusive mindset.
TG: Do you think the government should go after MLAs in illegal land projects to set an example?
JD: I believe whatever is done by an MLA or a minister or someone who is in public life should always be on the right track. Just because you are an MLA you are not above the law or it gives you authority to do whatever you want. We are lawmakers. We are not here to break laws. I myself have multiple businesses in the State. But we never take any advantage of the position to do any illegal work. Every MLA is elected by the people to do the right thing. We have to ensure that we are here to set an example for all the people we represent as well as the people of the state. We are not here to destroy this land. It we destroy motherland by doing illegalities, I don’t think anything will be left for the next generation. It is a very good decision by the government. I won’t say it’s going after a particular MLA. It sets a good example to each and every MLA…
TG: You made no bones about your desire to be a minister in the Pramod Sawant 2.0 government. What do you think went wrong?
JD: The minister’s post was an expectation created by the CM. The CM had promised the karyakartas that the MLA would made a minister if they elected the BJP again. I never demanded the minister’s berth. The karyakartas and people of Mapusa continuously demanded that the minister's post be given to the city of Mapusa. They have been continuously supporting my late father and the party. Mapusa has been the only consistent seat for the BJP for the last 20 years. In any case, I don’t see it as a setback. Sometimes things happen for good. That’s the way I look at it. It allows me more time to focus on my constituency and work more and put things in order.
TG: You were not even considered for an independent charge of any cooperation.
JD: I have spoken to people. I spoke to the CM also and he has promised to speak to me in detail on this over the next few days. Let us see what decision comes out.
