MP Shantaram Naik says the BJP is trying to crush the Bahujan Samaj.

TEAM HERALD

teamherald@herald-goa.com

PANJIM: Goa’s lone Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Shantaram Naik took pot-shots at the opposition BJP accusing them of systematically planning to crush the Bahujan Samaj.

“The BJP appears to have a systematic plan in place to crush Bahujan Samaj from gaining prominence in Goan politics. What they do with MP Shripad Naik’s desire to contest Assembly election is their internal party matter, but the talk of the town that local BJP leadership will not allow Naik to raise his head in local politics is very strong,” Shantaram Naik who himself belongs to the Bahujan Samaj said.

Naik also raised the issue of BJP being a communal party and gave examples of demolition of churches and chapels in Karnataka and also of Parrikar’s decision to withdraw the Good Friday and St Francis Xavier feast day holidays.

When media persons questioned him about the Congress government’s own performance in reining in robberies of temples and churches, Naik blamed people from other states to be behind such activities.

“Unfortunately these miscreants have never been found. It is mostly people from other states do these things,” Shantaram said.

He also lauded the Congress government by saying that the government has achieved economic growth of 21%; that Goa has given a boost to agriculture by raising the fund allocation from Rs 27 crores to Rs 52 crores.

He also spoke highly of the Mapusa District Hospital and the Universal Mediclaim scheme, which incidentally have run through more controversies and allegations of scam.

Rajya Sabha MP Shantaram Naik has asked the EC to act against complaints using the Indian Penal code rather than restricting itself to the Representation of People’s Act. If today x puts up a banner in y’s property and x cannot be tried since y is yet to file a nomination and not yet a candidate, instead of saying you cannot do anything, why cant you  try x under the Representation of People’s Act.  Try him under the defacement of property act and register cases,” Naik said adding that similarly if Dayanand Narvekar is caught distributing money he should be charged with bribery and the relevant sections of IPC should be registered against him.

“There are plenty of laws. This country is not short of legislation,” Shantaram Naik said. Also on the issue of paid news he challenged the Election Commission to come out with a comprehensive definition of paid news.

“Even the best of legal experts will have difficulty in coming up with an answer,” Shantaram said.