Dy CM says church body statement started row
TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Even as the Lok Sabha elections are fast approaching, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Goa on Sunday stated that apprehensions among the minorities over the acceptability of BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi still exist and it is very much evident through news reports.
Alleging that the communal forces are trying to communalize the ensuing parliamentary elections, BJP Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza circuitously admitted that the controversy regarding secularism and communalism cropped up only after the statement issued by the church body– Council for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP).
Addressing media persons on Saturday, D’Souza admitted that only after the church issued statement appealing people to vote for secular party, the issues of secularism and communalism cropped up in the state. “After the church issued the statement on secularism, every alternate day there are news report on the same,” he said responding to the question.
D’Souza accused parties —Congress and Aam Admi Party– for trying to communalize the elections by making secularism and communalism as their poll agendas. “I fail to understand as to why these issues cropped up in their heads only during election. There are no discussions on development or governance,” he said.
“ BJP’s agenda is to give equal opportunity to all communities,” D’Souza said claiming that BJP is the only political party in the state that has representation of Catholics (6 MLAs), schedule castes (2 MLAs) and schedule tribes (1 MLA).
When asked about Modi, D’Souza said that there are apprehensions on whether the minority will accept Modi as prime minister or not. “I don’t have any apprehension but there are apprehensions in the minds of the minority community…the apprehensions still exist and they will continue,” he said.
Soon after Modi was appointed as election campaign in-charge by BJP national executive, held in Goa in June last year, D’Souza had at that time said that whether minorities accept him or not in Goa will have to be seen only after the Lok Sabha election results.
