PANJIM: The Congress party has said that since the call for revolution was given by Dr Ram Manohar Lohia at a place in Margao, which is now called as Lohia Maidan, the Goa Revolution Day should be celebrated there.
“It was on 18th June 1946, that Dr Ram Manohar Lohia called for a direct action against then Portuguese rulers during a public meeting held at a place in Margao, which is now called as Lohia Maidan,” said a press release issued by the Congress party.
It was a day that fuelled Goa’s Liberation Movement inspiring hundreds of youngsters to fight against the colonial rule. The fruits of liberated Goa, which we enjoy, are because of the seeds sown on 18th June.
Greeting all the Goans on the occasion of the Revolution Day, the Congress said that while State government has been commemorating this day by hosting function at Azad Maidan in Panjim, the party feels that the celebrations should have been organised at Lohia Maidan in Margao, where the actual incident took place.
“It would have been more ‘informative and nostalgic’ experience for the citizens specially students to celebrate the day at the place where it actually happened,” says the press note.
Sating that the charm of the function is lost when held at Azad Maidan in Panjim, which has no relation with the incident, the Congress said that the State level function is just a formality event, spiced with the speeches by dignitaries and no much information about the incident to the young students.
Congress has decided that it would honour the day by holding the function at Lohia Maidan, Margao on Monday.
“The essence of the day which is called as Goa Revolution Day has to be maintained by the State government decentralizing the function from Panjim to Margao,” the party said.
Though it may be very late to shift the event to Margao this year, the Congress said that it hopes that from next year onwards, if this government survives, it would host it in Margao.
The Congress said that if it comes to power by that time, then, it is an assurance of the party that the State level function would be held at Lohia Maidan, which is witness to the historic day.
According to the press release, the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee would observe Goa Revolution Day at Lohia Maidan, on Monday at 11 am, while the North Goa District Congress Committee would observe the day at Azad Maidan at 11 am and the Ponda Block Congress Committee would observe at 10.30 am at Kranti Maidan, Ponda.
