TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The anguish over scheduling Goa Lok Sabha polls on April 17, Maundy Thursday is widespread with Archbishop Fr Felipe Neri Ferrao, Goa Government Employees Association and other Christian organisations on Thursday petitioning the Election Commission of India (ECI) for rescheduling of the election date.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has also petitioned the EC for a change.
Maundy Thursday is the first day of the Easter Triduum, when Catholics commemorate the Last Supper of Jesus with his Apostles.
Other Catholic organizations in the State, like the Catholic Association of Goa, the Diocesan Pastoral Council and the Archdiocesan Board of Education, too made similar representations to the Chief Election Commissioner. On Wednesday and Thursday, political parties including the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress had criticised the decision, saying they would make representations to the EC.
Chief Minister in his letter to EC asked it to reschedule the poll dates from April 17 to any day before April 13 or after April 20, as the entire week is celebrated as holy week by the community, that constitutes 27 percent of the State’s population.
“Considering the significance of Maundy Thursday and its importance to the Catholic community, would like to request for change in poll date from April 17 to any day before April 13 or after April 20. April 13 is observed as Palm Sunday, April 17 Maundy Thursday and April 20 Easter Sunday,” Parrikar said in his letter.
Taking cognisance of media reports, the Goa State Human Rights Commission (GSHRC) has also urged the Election Commission to change the polling date.
Fr Olavo Caiado, Director, Diocesan Centre for Social Communications Media told media that the Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Rev Fr Filipe Neri Ferrao, has written a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, “expressing his grave concern, and that of the Catholic community of Goa, with regard to the scheduled date for the Lok Sabha polls in the State.”
“The date, 17th April, 2014, coincides this year with Maundy Thursday, one of the most solemn religious celebrations in the calendar of the Catholic Church,” the Archbishop said adding the polling date would result in a serious conflict between the religious duties and the constitutional duties of many Catholics, as particularly more than 40 per cent of the polling officers, who would be completely deprived from attending the obligatory religious services. The Archbishop also pointed out that many polling booths are placed in Catholic schools, which are in turn situated in Church compounds, and polling activity on church grounds would be next to impossible, since the religious services on Maundy Thursday and following days are generally held on the same grounds.
The GHRC said, “it appears that April 17 is fixed as polling date for Goa which happens to be on Maundy Thursday. It is obvious that it will be difficult for Christians to exercise their franchise and many of them would be deprived of their right to vote. In such circumstances, we recommend that suitable alternate date may be fixed,” the Commission headed by Justice PK Mishra said.
The Goa Government Employees’ Association in its representation too had pointed out that a sizable number of Government servants are from the Catholic community, and would find it difficult to perform election duties on April 17, as well as during the Holy Week ie from April 17 till April 20, 2014.
