MARGAO: Commenting on Dr Pramod Sawant government’s failure to celebrate Goa’s Opinion Poll Day, the Goa Forward Party President Vijai Sardesai said that the Chief Minister needs a course on management and scheduling, before trying to administer the State.
On Monday, the Chief Minister had said since the COVID-19 vaccination programme for healthcare workers was fixed well in advance, the Opinion Poll Day celebration could not be held and added that the 51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) inauguration was also held on the same day.
Sardesai said, “Sawant day by day is showing his disregard to Goa’s history and heritage and is proving to all the Goans that his government is a ‘Sawantwadi government’.”
Speaking on the significance of Opinion Poll Day, Sardesai said, “The efforts of Dr Jack de Sequeira and all the stalwarts to win the Opinion Poll was to ensure that all the Goans have a voice and representation to the future they thought of for Goa, but this Chief Minister is busy dancing to the tunes of Delhi leaders and attended the IFFI function, because his Delhi bosses said so.”
The GFP Chief said, “We will gift the Chief Minister a calendar so that he can remember all the Goan historical dates and occasion, and better schedule his priorities.”
Sardesai pointed out that Sawant has time and again sought not to commemorate and honour Dr Jack de Sequeira, even during his time as Speaker of the Assembly.
“When Sawant was the Speaker, we put forward a motion to place a statue of Dr Jack de Sequeira in the Assembly complex, which then Sawant completely opposed and denied. Why does he want to alter Goa’s modern-day history? It’s clear he is not proud to be a Goan living in Goa!”
Addressing on the Chief Minister’s comments that due to State’s vaccine rollout, there was no official function for the Opinion Poll Day, Sardesai said, “Till now, Sawant has not shown any focus to properly curb the spread of COVID-19 infections.”
