Some of the speakers criticized the way in which his role in the formation of the state was being overshadowed. They sought to remind politicians that if it weren’t for him, they wouldn’t have had a chance to be ministers, let alone chief ministers.
Ramakant Khalap, originally of the MGP and now with the Congress, spoke of how he learned from Sequeira during the assembly sessions even though they were rivals. He also shed light on the different cultures that bred politicians like Dr Sequeira and Dayanand Bandodkar, and the way they dealt with the general populations as well as the differences in ideology at that time.
Former MLA, Teotonio Pereira, reminisced about his leader, claiming that till date, no chief minister had done anything for the state. If Dr Sequeira had the reigns for five years, Goa would have remained Goa and not been destroyed like it was now.
Radharao Gracious propounded the theory that Goan Catholics were leaving the country as they felt uneasy in the state since Catholics were being branded as anti-national without rhyme or reason. He alleged that Dr Sequeira was still not officially recognized because he was a Christian, and questioned why the community’s patriotism was always being questioned. They were being branded anti-national even though 90 percent of Goans joining the Indian armed forces were Christian, while only 9 percent were Hindus. The community even had top officers in all branches of the armed forces.
