TEAM HERALD
CHICALIM: Sharply reacting to a front page Herald Voice of the People article in our Wednesday edition titled “Utt Goenkara Utt, Nidhantlo Utt”, Chief Minister Parsekar said “Editorials have been written on the front page of an English newspaper with the caption ‘Utt Goenkara Utt, Nidhantlo Utt’. The writer is not a Goan, but Laxmikant Parsekar is a Goan and not an outsider. There is no need for him (writer) to wake up the Goans,” said a visibly annoyed Parsekar. The article did not carry the name of the author.
“By raising small issues, they are creating communal tension among the people, which will not be tolerated. Catholic and Muslim communities do not care for such write-ups, which have been proved in the by-election in Panjim,” added Parsekar.
The Herald article, extorted Goans to rise against the inherent threat of free speech and creative freedom being impaired by the government which would affect creative artists and writers across languages, if a censor board was formed to censor stage productions including tiatrs.
Speaking for the first time on the issue of the government’s move to have a censor board for tiatrists, the Chief Minister said “In the last few days, there is news in the papers that the government is trying to set up a censor board for tiatrs. There is no question of censoring the tiatrs. I have not given any instruction to anyone, nor has any such file come to my office and no one has asked me in this regard,” said Parsekar.
Questions raised by Herald on specific file movements including the comments by the Art and Culture director, on the note asking for his comments on the establishment of the censor, have been left unanswered by the government.
The CM’s outburst was on the sidelines of a function at the Chicalim Cottage Hospital where the Herald reporter began asking him to explain a controversial notice ‘No religious preaching allowed in the hospital’, which was affixed on the hospital corridor.
When asked why such signboards had been put up in the hospitals, Parsekar feigned ignorance and passed the buck on Health Minister Francis D’Souza saying that he was unaware of such signboards and told Herald to check with D’Souza.
D’Souza, who was also at the function, was initially caught off guard, but added that he too was not aware of such signboards displayed in the hospitals.
Parsekar then quickly added that religious preaching should not be done in hospitals.
When reminded that no one preaches in hospitals, Parsekar replied: “I don’t know about it, but there may be preaching somewhere and that is why signboards have been installed.”
“Special places for Hindu, Catholics and Muslims are reserved in hospitals and when people visit hospitals, they have faith in both, the doctor and God,” added Parsekar.
“People have faith in their respective gods and hence, places are reserved in hospitals. There should not be any preaching in the wards. These boards might have been put up, but there is no restriction on anyone,” said Parsekar.
He was then reminded that when he was health minister, a group ‘Hindu Vidhidnya Prashad’ from Fort Mumbai had written a letter dated July 14, 2014, asking him “to issue prohibitory orders restricting Christian religious preachers luring innocent patients for conversion in government hospitals.”
Parsekar shot back saying, “this is not a question and answer session. I am not aware of any such letter from any group,” and challenged the claim by the Herald.
