GARY AZAVEDO
VASCO/ CHICALIM: People from various parts of Goa from as far as Aldona in the north to Benaulim in the south patiently waited for the public meeting announced on social media to be held in front of the St Francis Xavier Church, Chicalim on Monday afternoon around 3 pm. But they went back disappointed as the meeting did not take place. This meeting had been convened as a show of solidarity towards the Chicalim parish priest Fr Bolmax Pereira who was allegedly verbally abused by the Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho’s personal assistant (PA) Ligorio Monteiro.
In the video that went viral all across Goa shortly after the incident, Monteiro can be observed angrily gesticulating asking Fr Bolmax to remain quiet while another individual is seen questioning Fr Bolmax for his ‘political interference’ when Fr Bolmax went to visit his parishioner Stefanie Lucas, who incidentally was elected unopposed as the ward panch from the Chicalim ward II in the recently held byelections.
Sources state that Fr Bolmax rushed to his active youth member Stefanie’s house when he was informed that she was being pressurised by a group of BJP activists resulting in the ugly altercation between Ligorio and Fr Bolmax that was captured on video by a bystander who later made it viral.
In another viral video shot soon after the incident, Fr Bolmax gave his version of the incident. He said, “The Chicalim village panchayat ward II byelection results were declared with a youth, Stefanie Lucas, a Chiclaim Youth Farmers Club member being declared as elected unopposed. We along with the youth had gone to congratulate her and we were surprised to know that even these byelections were being fought on party lines because a BJP party worker had come to her place claiming that she was their party member and had been selected and elected unopposed by them. We don’t know what type of elections are going on in Goa right now. One of them tried to take her aside but our youth insisted that ‘we are all coming with her’ and went along with her after the election returning officer presented her election victory certificate and the youth congratulated her.”
He further said “Surprisingly, it was the PS (personal secretary) of the local MLA threatening that ‘we will see how development works are undertaken in your ward’ only because she said that she was not with BJP!’ Here, elections are not fought on party lines so how is this possible? Because of phone calls we received, we went back wherein they started abusing me also, they started abusing the youth that had gone”
Interestingly reliable sources divulged that ‘there were seven candidates who sought to contest with Ligorio claiming to have fielded and supported Stefanie and later approached her seeking to know whether she would continue to be with his ruling group or align with the opposition panel.’ Sources added that Ligorio’s sister had met Fr Bolmax to compromise the matter.
When contacted for his reaction, Fr Bolmax remarked, “What is happening is very bad. People are being intimidated by people in political power. Fear is being instilled in the hearts of the people so nobody should oppose what they are doing. It looks like that. I am really disappointed with the present electoral system that Goa is following. I don’t know whether the Election Commission has no eyes or what? There is no ethics in what is happening.”
Interestingly, in another recent four-minute long video that is going viral, Fr Bolmax on Monday morning expressed his deep distress and further requested his Chicalim parishioners to maintain calm and not get unnecessarily agitated over the unsavoury incident.
Fr Bolmax cautioned against the anonymous ‘video’ that has gone viral announcing the public meeting of solidarity clarifying that he had not summoned this meeting adding that summoning such meetings were unnecessary as no parishioner was physically harmed.
Fr Bolmax claimed that ‘the present problems were because of all the 40 elected MLAs of the Goa Legislative Assembly who have failed Goans’ and clarified that there was no public meeting on Monday afternoon.
Newly elected ward panch Stefanie, too clarified that there was a fake message being circulated of the public meeting being held at the Chicalim church on Monday afternoon with the parish priest already clarifying to the parishioners that there was no meeting during the daily Mass and issuing a statement on social media. As Fr Bolmax had learnt of this fake video very late on Sunday after attending the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) public hearing, said Stefanie adding that the issue with Ligorio had been resolved with no complaints being registered. Although sources state that a non cognisable complaint had been filed by the Vasco Police.
Newly launched regional political party Goencho Avaaz State Convenor and activist Captain Viriatio Fernandes remarked, “Highly condemnable that supporterof minister and local MLA threatened and abused Fr Bolmax Pereira, a social activist who went to save a newly elected lady panch.”
