MAPUSA: Padma Shri awardees from Bardez are unhappy with the political turmoil in the State and upset that democracy is suffering a blow.
One can recall that a political tremor jolted the Congress in Goa when 10 of its 15 legislators switched to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday.
An Indian writer and educationalist from Goa, who received the Padma Shri award in 2010, Maria Aurora Couto told Herald that she was distraught and deeply saddened by what is going on in the country, including Goa.
While the Goa-based ace designer Wendell Rodricks, who was awarded the Padma Shri in 2014, opines that if Goa is being destroyed it is the people to be blamed and not the politicians.
When asked what he felt about the recent incident wherein a group of 10 Congress MLAs in the coastal State, led by the Leader of Opposition in the assembly Chandrakant Kavlekar, merged with the ruling BJP, increasing the saffron party’s strength to 27 in the 40-member house, Rodricks said it was not his area of expertise.
“Sorry this is politics. Not fashion. Not my area of expertise,” hurriedly replied Wendell.
The fashion designer who has been very much vocal over the various issues plaguing his village and the State of Goa feels that the people from Goa are least affected by the on-going political fiasco.
“What amazes and astounds me is that Goans, not just politicians, treat these shenanigans as a tiatr that seems not to affect their lives. If Goa is being destroyed then I blame the Goan public, not the politicians. Goans sell their land and houses and then complain about ‘bhaile’ (outsider). So wake up Goa and Goans. You Goans have landed us in this mess,” stated Wendell.
