MARGAO: Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar visited the DefExpo site on Friday afternoon and assured supporters that the Expo will take place and requested agitators not to fall prey to false political propaganda. On arrival at Quitol he went past around 150 opponents of the DefExpo and proceeded to the site where an equal number of supporters welcomed him.
“Don’t harp on permanent land allotment as the Expo nowhere grabbed land all these years. Don’t agitate on a flimsy point. The programme will happen as it is planned and I request all not to fall prey to false propaganda,” Parsekar said. In a veiled reference to GFDO he added, “Don’t take these people seriously as these are the people who are objecting all over Goa including Mopa and Electronic city in Tuem.”
He added, “The Defence hasn’t taken over land all over India for DefExpo and that’s not viable. DefExpo happens once in two years and there is no question of taking over land permanently. Someone is agitating the people to turn it to wrong publicity,” Parsekar said.
“It is India’s Defence Expo. Is it the defence of Pakistan that we are opposing it so much? We have to be proud of our Defence forces. Some local representatives are doing this to ensure their chairs at the next elections and are making wrong publicity. They should tell who sold the land for cheap money,” the Chief Minister said.
Parsekar was accompanied by Industries Minister Mahadev Naik, MLAs Subhash Faldessai, Nilesh Cabral, Rajan Naik and South Goa Collector Sachin Shinde. Over 200 police personnel were present at the site.
While the locals claimed that it is Quepem MLA Chandrakant (Babu) Kavlekar who took away their land and is now objecting to their benefits the Chief Minister said, “Babu will realise this is Laxmikant Parsekar led State.”
Quitol comunidade members speaking to the Chief Minister alleged that the people opposing the expo are outsiders and the locals are in favour of it. “We are with the DefExpo. Give us jobs according to our qualification and that is good enough for us,” was what Quitol comunidade and villagers said. “When land was acquired from us forcibly, these so called locals who are now agitators never came to object. Luizinho and Babu committed jobs, gave and removed our youth from the jobs,” alleged Shailesh Dessai a villager of Quitol. Neither Babu Kavlekar nor Luizinho Faleiro was seen at Quitol on Friday.
