Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, while addressing a public meeting at Navelim and Davorlim on Friday, appealed to the people of Goa not to vote for the Congress. He accused the party of attempting to demolish houses and urged voters to elect BJP Zilla Panchayat candidates instead. Sawant said that only his government has promised to regularise houses under the Mhaje Ghar scheme before the 2027 Assembly elections.
However, it is worth noting that the present BJP government is being run with the support of several former Congress leaders, including Digambar Kamat, Vishwajit Rane, Mauvin Godinho, Subhash Shirodkar, Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Rudolf Fernandes, Nilkant Harlankar, Rajesh Phaldesai and Sankalp Amonkar. In this context, it raises the question of which Congress the Chief Minister is referring to in Goa today.
The Chief Minister has also asked minorities whether the BJP has ever discriminated against them in the State. If there has been no discrimination, it is important to understand why many minorities find it difficult to secure government jobs under the present BJP government. There are also concerns about efforts to remove minority voters’ names from electoral rolls on minor grounds through exercises such as SIRs in Goa.
Another issue that has caused concern is the case of Subhash Velingkar, who was not arrested despite making remarks that hurt the religious sentiments of Goan Catholics last year about St Francis Xavier, popularly known as Goencho Saib.
These issues explain why minorities in Goa have traditionally been reluctant to vote for the BJP. Their concerns are rooted in past experiences and a fear of being sidelined or treated unfairly.
