MARGAO: Curtorim MLA Alexio Reginaldo Lourenco has requested the Director General of Police to immediately file a criminal case against Power Minister Nilesh Cabral for issuing a threat to Goa Foundation Director Claude Alvares.
He also requested the government to provide full-fledged round-the-clock security to Claude and his family.
In a press statement, Reginaldo questioned Cabral whether Narendra Modi or Amit Shah or ailing Manohar Parrikar has given him the green signal to intimidate Claude by menacingly stating that “ if again he (Claude) goes to the court to disrupt the mining activities, then we will have to throw him out of the State. I will lead the movement if such a situation arises.”
“Is Goa the property of BJP’s grandfathers, a party whose founder ideologues supported the British during India’s freedom struggle? Has Cabral become the Hitler of Goa by stating that he “will lead the movement” to throw Claude and we the Goemkars will keep quiet and watch this satanic act?” he questioned.
In his statement, Reginaldo reminded Cabral that it was not Claude who stopped mining but his sick Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar , who, then as leader of opposition, used to shout from the rooftops that illegal mining in Goa was to the tune of Rs 35,000 crores. But after Parrikar became CM, Reginaldo said, he soon became a bosom friend of the “mining mafia”, took no action against the people involved with illegal mining and even drastically brought down the mining loss from Rs 35,000 crore to just Rs 4000 crore.
