BJP trains guns on Portuguese ship

PANJIM, NOV 11
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken strong exception to Governor S S Sidhu and Chief Minister Digambar Kamat’s initiative to welcome the arrival of “Sagres”, a Portuguese vessel that will touch Goan shores on Friday saying the Government is embracing something that is celebrating the conquest of Goa some five hundreds years ago.
“They will have to face the consequences if they go ahead with the programme,” warned Laxmikant Parsekar, BJP State President while addressing a press conference on Friday here.
Sagres is voyaging across the globe celebrating discovery of East Asia by Portuguese 500  years ago and other conquests.
Parsekar said they are strongly opposed to the Governor and the CM celebrating the arrival of Sagres in Goa.
They should not use their offices to glorify Portuguese whose arrival in Goa marked the dark age.
“People were tortured, imprisoned and also had to undergo conversion during Portuguese regime,” said Parsekar giving reason why Goa Government should not be part of the celebration.
In one-and-a-half month’s time the government will celebrate golden jubilee of Liberation but it now wants to embrace the ruler which put Goans under siege, he added.