In a press not issued on Saturday, GFG president Kennedy Afonso asked Saldanha to refrain for diluting the special status demand and added, “Before the last MP elections, Alina went to the villages of South Goa to fool the people on the special status issue, and once the elections were over, she conveniently forgot it until she was divested of her portfolio. She is now raking up the issue with a candlelight march to gain sympathy from the people.”
“Given the stance of the BJP government in the State and the Centre, special status for Goa looks like a pipe dream, which surfaces only when elections are round the corner,” added Afonso.
GFG also questioned what Saldanha and the BJP government had done to prevent the sale of Goan land to migrants? Afonso said, “Why was no bill drafted to ensure that land remains in the hands of Goans? On the contrary, Alina and the BJP government has drafted a draconian ‘super bill’ to protect the interest of migrants, thereby doing grave injustice to Goans whose lands had been encroached on.”
GFG also demanded to know Saldanha’s stance the super bill as it contradicted the movement for special status.
