TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Non-BJP ruling MLAs from minority Salcete on Friday conceded that issues such as ghar wapsi, attacks on churches and Mother Teresa, VHP convention in Goa et al had a negative bearing on voters in the minority taluka as they voted out the Alliance candidates in the Zilla Panchayat polls.
Even a victorious GVP candidate from Raia Fatima Gaunkar said she would have won by a much higher margin had she not contested on the GVP banner, saying the Opposition exploited issues such as ghar wapsi against the alliance candidate.
Be it GVP supremo Mickky Pacheco, or Benaulim MLA Caitu Silva or Velim MLA Benjamin D’Silva, they all agreed that all these contentious issues, including the gang-rape of a nun, demolition of a under construction church at Haryana adversely affected candidates backed by them.
The GVP supremo went a step further and claimed that some of religious leaders also exploited these issues by asking the people to vote against the BJP-GVP alliance. “I have information that some religious leaders had given a call to defeat the BJP and alliance candidates. These seven issues, including the VHP convention in Goa, ghar wapsi, gang-rape of a nun, attacks on Mother Teresa and churches all influenced the voters against the Alliance”, he said.
While disclosing plans to discuss these issues with the BJP leadership, Mickky, however, said that the GVP is committed to support the BJP government for the next two years.
Independent MLA from Velim Benjamin D’Silva said the emotive issues were exploited by the Opposition to pin down the alliance candidates. “It is a fact that Christians are deeply hurt over the gang-rape of a nun, attacks on churches and Mother Teresa. People think that we are also part of the BJP, without realising that we are supporting the government for developmental works”, he said.
Benaulim MLA Caitu Silva also said the emotive issue came into play in the election for the Benaulim seat. “Though Honey D’Costa had contested the election as an independent, the Opposition labelled him as a BJP candidate since we are part of the ruling government”, Caitu said.
