Congress spokesperson SudipTamankar on Wednesday demanded the resignation of chief minister ManoharParrikar as home minister for his failure to control the soaring crime rate in the state.

 

Briefing the media at Congress House in Panaji, Tamankar citied statistics for the period between March 9, 2012, to March 31, 2013, to state that there had had been 3,595 crimes registered in Goa for that period.

 

Tamankar's figures include 49 murders, 59 rapes, 369 assaults, 96 molestations and 208 suicides. "The crime rate has increased and the government is making efforts to dilute these cases," he said. Tamankar said that when Manohar Parrikar was the opposition leader, he used to complain that the detection of cases by the crime branch was zero.

 

"But now, he is handing over most cases to the crime branch, whose detection is still zero," he said. Tamankar pointed out that the Mapusa Raikar jeweller case, the Ponda mid-day meal rice case, the Vasco rape case and the murder case of a tourist at Colva were all handed to the crime branch. "The police are totally ineffective and the home minister is useless. We demand his resignation as home minister. Let somebody else take over," he said. [TOI]

Former PWD minister Churchill Alemao has dared chief minister Manohar Parrikar to ensure that his party fields a candidate from the minority community for the forthcoming parliamentary elections for the South Goa seat if his "self-professed" love for the minorities is sincere.

 

Addressing mediapersons on Tuesday, Alemao came down heavily on the chief minister for his recent statements accusing him and independent candidate Vijai Sardesai of indulging in double-speak over the Mopa airport issue.

 

"I have never adopted double standards. The day I realized that Mopa airport would result in shutting down of the Dabolim airport, I began my anti-Mopa movement, and since then I have been consistently opposing Mopa. It is the chief minister who adopts double standards and made many U-turns," Alemao said.

 

Replying to a query, Alemao said that he was never a party to the cabinet decision to appoint consultants for conducting a feasibility study on the Mopa airport during the previous Congress government when he was the cabinet minister, and stressed that he later vehemently opposed de-notification of the Dabolim land for parking.

 

Stating that the recent resolution adopted by the state legislative assembly was "just to fool the people", Alemao expressed surprise over how the BJP, which has persistently opposed special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir could demand special status for Goa.

 

"All this is because they need the South Goa MP seat. But they know pretty well that obtaining special status for Goa is very difficult...The chief minister has fooled the minority community once (referring to the support received by the BJP from this community in the last assembly elections), but he won't succeed in fooling them now. If his (Parrikar's) love for the minorities is sincere, let him field a candidate from the minority community, either a Catholic or a Muslim, for (South Goa) the Lok Sabha elections," Alemao said.

 

Alleging that the chief minister discriminated against the minorities, Alemao tried to attribute motives over Parikar's failure in congratulating him on his club's victory in the I-league championship. [TOI]

 

The Congress has asked Goa government to frame regulations and set ceilings for purchase of land by outsiders and advised Goans not to sell their properties any more. 

“I heard villages have been bought; this should not be done. This should be curbed. The government should come out with a regulation and ceiling on buying of huge tracts of land,” Member of Parliament and senior party leader Francisco Sardinha told reporters at a briefing Wednesday. 

The MP suggested that Goans should not sell their immovable properties to outsiders as he apprehended future generations will have to look out for shelter in their very own state. “Leave something for posterity. We will be minority in our own state... Don’t blame the government afterwards,” he added. 

Asked whether the party would support legislation in this regard, Sardinha responded: “Let it first come…we will discuss. If it (legislation) is in the interest of Goans, why should we be against it?”

The MP came down heavily on the Goa government and blamed it for the present water woes, power fluctuation, vegetables-fruits-milk-beef shortage and inflation. 

“This government is famous for creating shortages… I request the government to open its eyes and be sensitive to the sufferings of the middle class,” he said.  [H]

 Taking strong exception to Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s plea to the people to dump him (Churchill) from politics because of his double standards on the airport issue, former PWD minister Churchill Alemao on Tuesday warned that the government “will have to scrap Mopa” since “the people of South Goa are opposing the proposed airport tooth and nail.”

Churchill reminded the chief minister that he was already out of politics and was waiting to see the day when he (Parrikar) would be finally out of politics. He said that he had taken up the airport issue because he was convinced that Dabolim would be closed down once Mopa became a reality.

Addressing media persons on Tuesday, Churchill accused the chief minister for U-turns and double standards on a host of issues and demanded to know why the chief minister did not get back the acquired land for Dabolim parking after shouting from roof tops during his stint in the Opposition.

Replying to a question, Churchill said he would contest the coming Lok Sabha polls only if given the Congress ticket. “If not, I will work for the party candidate in the elections,” he said.

On the law and order situation, Churchill expressed happiness that not a single temple has been desecrated during the BJP tenure, but slammed the government for the spate of burglaries, murders and rapes in the State. “When the Congress was in power, there were so many temple desecrations within the first few months. I am happy that not a single temple desecration has taken place during the last one year,” he said.

Churchill expressed surprise that the BJP government is supporting special status for Goa when the BJP is opposing special status for Jammu and Kashmir. “I fail to understand how the BJP is supporting special status for Goa and opposing similar status to Kashmir,” he added.

On the airport issue, Churchill said he did not attend the Lohia Maidan meeting called by ‘Goans for Dabolim Only’ on grounds that he would have been made to sit in the audience. “The movement against Mopa is my issue. I cannot sit in the audience. But, since the Forum has said their movement is apolitical, I support the anti-Mopa movement,” he added.

Churchill, however, demanded to know the presence of Ministers Alina Saldanha and Avertano Furtado for the meeting, saying the duo should either tell the chief minister to stop Mopa or quit from the Cabinet in protest.  But, when media persons reminded that he did not quit the Kamat Cabinet when the Congress government went ahead with Mopa, Churchill said “at least, I had expressed my willingness to quit from the Cabinet. I have not heard anything from the two Ministers”. [H]