TEAM HERALD
bureau@herald-goa.com
CALANGUTE: That the BJP has been disturbed by the Church’s appeal to its people to consider secularism while exercising their franchise is evident as the party has made efforts to dismiss the efficacy of the circular and has begun touting its ‘secular’ credentials.
However on Sunday, a speaker at a BJP meeting in Calangute went on the offensive and berated the clergy for influencing the laity and persuading them to vote for secular parties.
The speech of Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott president Agnelo Rodrigues took a number of people, including BJP leaders and supporters, by surprise and Calangute MLA Michael Lobo was quick to distance himself from the controversial speech.
The incident took place when BJP leaders were in the process of claiming that their party is secular, given the number of Catholic MLAs in the BJP-led State government.
Rodrigues then took to the podium and began criticising the priests for influencing the people to vote in favour of and for secular parties.
Rodrigues even went on to name a prominent priest in the archdiocese, accusing him of playing politics. “I am not hurting the sentiments of other Catholics in the gathering, but I am only speaking the truth,” claimed Rodrigues.
While Rodrigues went on with his tirade on the BJP platform, Catholic leaders like MLA Michael Lobo, Anthony Menezes, Abeline Menezes, Jhonny Silveira, Agostinho D’Souza, Dilailah Lobo, Josephine D’Cruz, Edwin Lobo, Joseph Fernandes and Cleophas Fernandes remained mute spectators.
When the meeting finished, Lobo was confronted over Rodrigues’ outburst against priests, especially in Calangute which has a large Catholic community.
Clearly annoyed with Rodrigues for rebuking the priests, Lobo said, “What Rodrigues spoke was his personal experience of a priest speaking against BJP at a private function and it had nothing to do with our meeting.”
“It was unexpected and we do not approve of his criticism of the particular priest. His criticism of the priests was also uncalled for and I do not approve of it. The priests have every right to direct their people and guide them on what is right and wrong in society,” said Lobo.
