Team Herald
PANJIM: Congress leaders including State president Shantaram Naik, Navelim MLA Luizinho Faleiro, former Chief Minister Digamabar Kamat extended support to the taxi operators on Saturday, but were told by taxi operators to stop addressing the protestors.
Taxi operators demanded that the Congress Legislative Party, if it is indeed supporting them, adopt a resolution pressing for an ordinance against the installation of speed governors.
Congress did not reply on this but Naik said the party is supporting the taxi operators and they will seek an appointment with the Chief Minister to resolve the issue. He phoned Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar from the Azad Maidan and sought an appointment at noon on Sunday.
Taxi operators said they would not join Congress at the meeting with the Chief Minister. “If you want to go, you go and speak to the Chief Minister, we will not be coming. If Chief Minister wants, he should come here and give us in writing that speed governors implementation will be withdrawn,” union spokesperson Laxman Korgaonkar told the Congress leaders. Taxi operators stopped Naik speaking anything further from the dais.
Luizinho Faleiro too was stopped by taxi operators from speaking further from the stage. Faleiro said Congress is supporting the union and party leaders will come along with taxi owners to the government to resolve the issue if required.
“State government can amend the central rule if they want. Government should hear the problems of people. We will be always there with taxi operators,” he said.
Korgaonkar asked Faleiro whether his party will continue to support them, and said they are capable of resolving the issue. He also questioned why Congress had failed to raise the issue in the Assembly. Korgaonkar stopped Faleiro from speaking further stating, “You don’t know the problems of Goans, please stop…please stop.”
Naik told the protesting crowd that he is ready to sit in jail along with them if the government attempts to arrest them.
