Say boycotting elections not ruled out if demands are not met immediately
TEAM HERALD
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MARGAO: An impressive meeting of Velim parishioners on Sunday called upon the authorities to tender an unconditional apology to the parish Priest Fr Romano Gonsalves and restore his integrity, even as a signature campaign got underway in all the nine parishes in the Chinchinim deanery to convey a message to the election authorities to come clean on the issue.
The largely attended meeting called upon the authorities to restore the integrity of the parish priest by tendering an apology and also establish the identity of the caller. The meeting reiterated that the parishioners will contemplate boycotting the polls if their demands are not met immediately.
Addressing the meeting, Fr Romano Gonsalves narrated the chronology of events right from the day the I-T officials and flying squad conducted the raid on February 6 evening. He said it is a pity that the authorities are passing the buck and have even denied that the raid has taken place on February 6.
The parishioners raised a host of queries on the entire episode. Questions were raised whether the outgoing district collector Sandeep Jacques was wrong in his statement holding the I-T department responsible for the whole issue. “Is the CEO afraid of the I-T department and hence is trying to justify the act under the banner of free and fair elections of the ECI? Is the CEO working in a democratic manner or in the guise of supremacy of the election Commission, he is misusing his office”, they asked.
Moreover, demanding to know whether there was a powerful hand in the whole issue, perhaps persons in power, the parishioners said they have every reason to believe so as the officials are twisting the story every day and have lost the temperament among themselves.
In the petition prepared for the signature campaign, members of the Catholic community said they are not happy with the behaviour on the part of the authority and the CEO office not coming clear on the issue. “We hereby state that we as a minority community are living in a state of fear over your authorities raiding the religious premises and have tried to malign the name of our religious leader. We see this as an act to suppress our voice wherein our Priest tried to advocate ethical voting”, the petition read.
Meanwhile, the Parishioners have clarified that the Parish delegation was invited by the CEO for deliberations, adding that Velim MLA Filipe Neri Rodrigues was not accompanying the Parish delegation as some reports in the press indicate. “We have not taken help of any politician in our struggle for justice”, the parishioners stated.
