PANJIM: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has strongly condemned Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s approach of cherry picking people for harassment and while likening him to the Salazar of yore of the Portuguese era, demanded that he open up a forum where people could willingly register themselves as participants in whatever perceived crime the government is contemplating.
AAP leader Sandesh Telekar said, “The act of the Railway Police Force in filing an FIR only against protesters including him even though there were hundreds of other people present at Arossim on the fateful day, is akin to Salazar’s policy of nitpicking people for harassment.
“The CM through his police wants to do a 'setting' with us by offering us to close the cases against us with a written promise from us that we wouldn't speak about these issues in the future. The CM should know that he cannot silence us. He cannot stop us from taking up giants issues. ” he said
Sandesh pointed out that the BJP government’s attitude towards the youngsters and their parents on the eve of Liberation Day was totally in keeping with the Portuguese dictatorship and wondered how the CM could act so cruelly as to make the innocent youngsters bear such torture.
“Children were separated from their parents and scuttled helter-skelter as the government did not know what it was doing or what it ought to do and the youngsters were shunted from Panjim to Colvale and then from there to Ponda only to be released late in the night as their parents anxiously awaited news about them,” said AAP leader Venzy Viegas.
He said instead of resorting to such draconian measures, Sawant should have had understood what trauma the youngsters and more importantly their parents would be going through.
“Only a heartless person, which Dr Pramod has proven to be, could do what he did to the students that day and for this Goans will definitely give him a befitting reply when the time comes,” warned Cecille Rodrigues.