Deplores Alina’s statement asking Navy to move out of State
TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The Congress has said that Dabolim will be retained as a civilian airport and will be the only airport for Goa since the Union government has acquired 450 acres of land in Belgaum to establish a futuristic naval base in the hinterland.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President John Fernandes said that the Navy should however be retained in Goa for strategic reasons and to maintain the runways.
He castigated Minister for Environment and Forests Alina Saldanha for campaigning to shift the naval base out of Goa to Karwar.
Speaking at a press briefing at Congress house, he said the Congress party favours the existence of INS Hansa at Dabolim airport while it also condemns the minister’s ‘anti-national’ and ‘deplorable statement’. “We want the Navy to remain in Goa. We also resent and protest the deplorable statement by Alina asking the Navy to move out of Goa. It is a highly objectionable and anti-national statement,” he said. The senior Congress leader, “We should not be made to believe that she is also holding Portuguese nationality because of her anti-national statements……‘Alina is nothing but her master’s voice,’ he said and called on Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to reply if he supports Alina’s statement on the navy.
It may be recalled that during a public debate earlier this week on the topic ‘Future of Dabolim Airport’, Alina called on Goans to unite in their demand to shift the naval base to Sea Bird in Karwar banking on late Matanhy Saldanha’s investigation that the Navy was illegally occupying the Dabolim airport and that he was also of the firm opinion that the Indian Navy should not shift out of Goa.
Speaking at a press briefing, GPCC chief John Fernandes said the Congress party favours the existence of INS Hansa at Dabolim airport while it also condemns the minister’s ‘anti-national’ and ‘deplorable statement’. “We want the Navy to remain in Goa. We also resent and protest the deplorable statement by Alina.”
