Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa Forward Party (GFP) President and TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai on Friday claimed that successive governments have failed to recognise the Opinion Poll and has called for a public meeting at Lohia Maidan on January 16. Sardesai also demanded that a statue of Dr Jack de Sequeira be installed at the Goa Legislative Complex.
Addressing the media, Sardesai said, “A lot of people have this thought that recognition was required for Dr Jack de Sequeira and other stalwarts who fought for the Opinion Poll but this has not been given by the government and in a way to give this our party has decided to hold a public meeting at Lohia Maidan to commemorate the historic day.”
“Our history shows that after the State’s liberation history ends which is not a correct concept. According to me, modern Goan history goes up till Goa got Statehood and Konkani became the official language of the State,” Sardesai said.
He added said that his party will demand for a statue of Dr Jack de Sequeira at the Goa Legislative Complex. “He might have lost elections, but won Goa, if not, then Goa would be district in Maharashtra,” he said.
Sardesai further demanded that the historic fight to save the identity of the State should be included in the school syllabus.
Sardesai said it is important that the history of Goa is documented properly. “The right place for this Liberation Memorial would be Adil Shah’s Palace or Cabo but this year there be certainly be a memorial,” he added.
The Minister also said there will be an entire road in Fatorda constituency dedicated to the memory of the Opinion Poll with stencil metal frames of the all the stalwarts who fought for it. “The whole road will be in memory of the Opinion Poll. All these frames will be inaugurated either by the stalwarts or their family members,” he added.
