VASCO: Cortalim MLA Alina Saldhana raised strong objection over the remarks made by South Western Railway Manager Ajay Kumar Singh during annual inspection of South Western Railway route.
During the inspection of SWR route by Manager Singh, Saldhana along with the locals met him and raised objection to the doubling of railway tracks citing that their heritage houses will receive irreparable damage and also will be demolished which locals do not want to happen.
Singh in his reply informed the locals and MLA that the government will compensate people for their houses. But Saldhana pointed out that they have houses which are 500 years old and has heritage relevance to them.
To this Singh gave reply stating that India has houses 5,000 years old. Goans were invading forces which came 500 years back and at that time you all must have destroyed houses here, he also added that “by you I meant Portuguese”. To this Saldhana objected and after that Singh took back his remarks and left the venue abruptly.
Later, speaking to the reporters MLA Saldhana stated that this statement made by the South Western Railway Manager Ajay Kumar Singh referring to her and other Goans as “You Portuguese” is having strong objection from her. She further said, “We are not Portuguese, we are the people of Goa and we are Indians.”
“There is no doubt that we were under the Portuguese rule for several years and we got ourselves liberated. I will take up this issue with the Railway Minister and such kind of mentality is one of the reasons that Goa is taken for granted. As per them we are supposed to be Portuguese so who cares for them, we are more than a 100 per cent Indians,” she said.
