TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP) leader Radharao Gracias on Wednesday asserted that carnival is not a Catholic festival as being made out by some MLAs, saying that carnival is being held in the state to attract tourists and has no connection with the Catholic religion.
In a lighter vein, Radharao said the Carnival festivities should be done away with since the Assembly is a big carnival, where people get entertainment during the session. “I don’t think we need another carnival when we have half a dozen king momos in the Assembly”, he said, adding “may be certain MLAs are objecting to the holding of the Assembly session during the carnival festivities because their capacity will be affected by the street carnival”.
Asserting that Carnival is a pagan festival, Radharao said no Church will accept that Carnival is part of Catholic religion. “Today, the carnival is an officially organised tamasha. The float parade are nothing but semi nude people dancing on the streets. This is being done to encourage and bring in the tourists”, he said.
He was ostensibly referring to the remarks made by some MLAs that the government ought to have rescheduled the budget session in view of the carnival festivities. “There should be no mistake that carnival is not a catholic festival. It is a festival of the flesh. The Catholic religion is generally opposed to the festival”, he said, while recalling that the Goa Church had in the past opposed the festival.
