PANJIM: In a sharp retort to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s statement that there was a need to wipe out signs of Portuguese rule in Goa, noted priest and activist Fr Eremito Rebello on Saturday said that the people who have migrated from other States to Goa should not dictate terms to Goans.
“History is history it is something that has already happened. We cannot undo it. Now since CM is speaking this kind of language I would like to tell him that he should wear langot and dhoti and stop wearing pants…what he is wearing is Western and not Indian. Secondly, he should stop eating from the table. He should sit on the floor and eat his food,” Fr Rebello said.
“Those who have migrated from other places to Goa have no right to tell things to Goans, those who have come to Goa from Kolhapur and Sawantwadi should return back to their own land and leave Goans to decide their own destiny. The culture of Goans is not Sanskrit culture or Aryan culture we have to go see who the first known settlers in Goa are. And, we know that the first known settlers in Goa are not the Aryans. The present Sanskrit culture came much later,” he added.
Fr Rebello further said that Goa was inhabited by Dhangars, Velips and Kunbis who are known as ‘Mul Goenkars’ and they had their own Gods, religion and culture which has been allegedly destroyed by the Sanskrit culture.
“Sanskritisation and Aryan culture came much later. Therefore if CM wants to delete all the signs of the Portuguese then I would say let all the Aryans return back to those places from where they had come to Goa,” he said.
