MARGAO: Asserting that it will kick start its agitation from February 17, Goa’s Movement Against Panchayat Ordinance (GMAPO) has called upon the people of Goa to boycott and defeat all candidates contesting the ensuing Zilla Panchayat polls on party lines.
At a meeting held in the city here on Friday, GMAPO has further decided to hold taluka/constituency wise meetings to bring awareness amongst the people if the government stubbornly refuses to rescind the Ordinance and goes ahead with the elections on party lines. It has also been decided to appeal to all the Sarpanchas to convene special gram sabhas and adopting resolutions opposing ZP elections on party lines. GMAPO has also kept the option of knocking the doors of the court open, but as a last resort.
Briefing the media after the meeting, GMAPO convenor Kennedy Afonso GMAPO will support the independent candidates while asking the people to defeat candidates contesting on party lines. “We have decided to take the movement to the grass roots”, he said, while urging all Zilla members, Sarpanchas, Panchas, NGOs to oppose the government move and come out openly to safe guard the democratic rights.
GMAPO has condemned Chief Minister, Laxmikant Parsekar’s comments that the government will not rescind the Ordinance, saying this only goes to show that the government has scant respect for the people. The NGO also condemned the statement of deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza not ruling out the question of holding municipal elections on party lines.
Spokesman of All Goa Panchayat Democratic Forum Joseph Vaz said the government has moved with alacrity to pass an ordinance to hold the elections on party lines, but has till date failed to honour all promises made to the Panchayat raj institutions.
Adv Chaggas Silva the government which failed to give special status for Goans is now trying to foist a decision which was not in the BJP election manifesto. “The government should have brought the Amendment in the House and passed it after having discussions and consultations”, he said, while expressing surprise that the government has acted in a hurry without giving notice to the political parties.
Siddesh Bhagat, Curtorim panch J Santano Rodrigues, Joseph L Vaz, Joe Rebello, Fredrick Borges and others attended the meeting.
