MARGAO: AICC General Secretary Girish Chodankar has slammed the BJP government and Margao Shigmo Committee for politicising Shigmo, and questioned the decision of the government-backed Shigmo committee to felicitate him.
Chodankar was reacting to the committee’s statement about his felicitation at a press conference on Thursday. He wondered how the government-appointed Shigmo committee could felicitate him when he was fighting against the government since 2006 to ensure that Shigmo was organised by the Madgao Shigmotsav Samiti, which was formed in 1988 and registered with the registrar of societies.
He also recalled that had successfully petitioned the High Court in 2013 against the use of the Shigmotsav Samiti’s name.
“The Shigmo celebrations, which was in the hands of Margao citizens, had been hijacked by the BJP office bearers since the BJP government came to power and converted into a BJP Shigmo Committee,” said Chodankar
He also claimed that the government-back committee president, Damu Naik, was trying to divide the Samiti. He also said that if the government committee wanted to felicitate him, then it should handover the Shigmo celebrations to the founding Samiti headed by Vasant Shirodkar. He added, “I will happily accept this as my felicitation.”
He further said, “It is my stand not to get myself felicitated. This year, I have kept myself away from the affairs of the Shigmo Samiti for political reasons, but I am totally committed to the cause of the Samiti and very much with them. My fight will continue till powers are restored to the original Samiti.”
Chodankar also attacked the Parsekar government for allegedly denying the ‘founders’ the right to organise Shigmotsav.
