Team Herald
PANJIM: Town & Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai has hit out at the Congress for “misunderstanding” that he equated Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to Jesus during the just-concluded Legislative Assembly session.
“I am not referring to concrete bridges; but bridges of human relationship. If Congress misunderstands my statement as concrete bridges, I do not have to say sorry for their selective and deliberate reading. In fact, it is the Congress which by giving a spin to my statement is insulting religious sentiments and blaming me,” he said in a statement released to the media on Saturday.
“I only find an analogy with Parrikar and Jesus. I have never equated him to Jesus Christ. It only means when it came to bridging humans … especially those on the other side like me, Parrikar showed Jesus’ ways… Saying this does not mean I am making him Jesus!” the minister added.
The Congress party had demanded an apology from Sardesai claiming he likened Parrikar with Jesus during a discussion in the House to congratulate the CM on completing the third Mandovi Bridge ‘Atal Setu’ in a record breaking time.
Congress party’s chief spokesperson Sunil Kawthankar’s press conference demanding the apology came a day after Sardesai quoted from the Bible that “man should built bridges, not walls.”
“In the Bible there is a saying that man should build bridges not walls. Jesus built bridges, not walls. So you need to build bridges. Manohar Parrikar also built bridges. We were also on the other side. We came this side, because of the bridges that he built (referring to his tenure as the opposition leader),” Sardesai had said.
On the Opposition’s demand for an apology, Sardesai on Saturday however said, “Having cleared my intention, if anyone is hurt because of the spin deliberately given by Congress, I seek pardon from people whose sentiments are hurt. But I appeal to the people not to fall prey to the mind games played by the Congress.”
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Congress says it’s being blamed for twisting statement
MARGAO: Responding to TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai’s clarification, Congress on Saturday said it is being blamed for twisting his statement. Congress Spokesperson Siddhanath Buyao in a statement said, “Sardesai has blamed Congress for twisting his statement and said that he used word analogy with Parrikar and Jesus.” He added, “Vijai has, even in his apology, said that he had used his words of wisdom likening Manohar Parrikar to Jesus Christ as an analogy. The Minister should check on the dictionary and come clear whether analogy and equating aren’t one and the same.” Buyao also said that Sardesai fears a backlash from a section of society.
