TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The Congress party slammed the BJP-led coalition Saturday for continuing with its plan to host a rally to be addressed by BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi on Sunday, at the time when the State is mourning over several deaths in Canacona building collapse tragedy.
The party is also upset that government illegally converted the agricultural land at Merces without permissions from concerned authorities to hold the gathering.
Party spokesman Jitendra Deshprabhu alleged that government has been misusing their power by unlawfully trespassing into the property and preventing farmers to enter their fields. “We are deeply anguished by the fact the government did not obtain NOC or permission from the Comunidade of Merces nor applied to the concerned authority seeking permission to use the land. The agricultural land has been converted without proper documents,” he alleged.
He further charged Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar with cheating the farmers, who were assured compensation of Rs 10,000 each for using their respective fields for the rally. “Government has been misusing their power by deploying police around the ground to prevent farmers to go into their fields. The CM then assured to pay them Rs 10,000 each. The following day when the farmers reached his office, they were pushed away…What kind of Sankalp Rally is this when the BJP is unable to protect the interests of the farmers?” Deshprabhu asked, terming the whole act as ‘shameful’.
Deshprabhu also questioned how the government could go-ahead with the rally when the State is traumatized over the Canacona tragedy. He recalled that Congress-led government had called off the Carnival celebrations while the horrific Calvim tragedy occurred in 2012 which six persons including four students had died after the bus in which they were travelling plunged into the river.
“…But the present government is carrying out mammoth preparations for the rally. There is celebration time,” he alleged while also demanding a judicial probe into the incident and bringing all the culprits to book. “Although the incident occurred a week back, the death toll in increasing every day as the rescue operation is still underway. I believe the deaths will rise to more than 42,” he said replying to a media question. He blamed the government for not compensating the families of the deceased victims immediately.
