HERALD: Now that the Bharatiya Janata Party has outrightly rejected the demand to install the statue of Dr Jack de Sequeira in the Assembly Complex, what is the Goa Forward Party’s next step?
PRASHANT NAIK: As mentioned, we shall meet all MLAs to convince them why Dr Jack de Sequeira needs to be honoured. After all they are MLAs today only because Dr Sequeira got not only the Opinion Poll held in Goa but won it. Personally I think many MLAs will agree to this and if the whole issue is explained to them in the right perspective, they should not have any objection in recognising the contribution of the people who won the opinion poll for Goans.
HERALD: Earlier the Goa Forward Party had taken up the issue very strongly and even declared that it will quit the government if necessary. What is the stand now?
PRASHANT: Frankly I do not think we can afford to have a knee jerk reaction. And nobody said we would quit the government. What was said that if things go contrary to our vision and expectation, we would quit. In the matter of recognizing the significance of Opinion Poll, two of our demands are already met. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has agreed to observe January 16, as “Asmitai Dis” at the State level with a grand function at the State capital. Besides, he has also promised to include Opinion Poll in the school curriculum at least by 2019. The third demand of having Dr Sequeira’s statue will also be fulfilled if not tomorrow sometime after that.
HERALD: Will the Goa Forward Party go cool on the demand to install the statue to keep the government going?
PRASHANT: That is not the point. When we entered the coalition we knew that it would not be easy as there were different groups with different ideology coming together. However, we are committed to keep the government going and delivering to the people. We are willing to wait for some time for the statue to be installed and just because it is not happening tomorrow we see no reason to quit the government.
HERALD: So what is the role that you see for the Goa Forward Party on this issue?
PRASHANT: The Goa Forward Party has taken it as a challenge to convince our coalition partner on the importance to recognize all those who made the Opinion Poll successful because of whom today we have our own identity and our MLAs can be members of a legislative assembly. One thing is very clear, Goa Forward will not give up nor dilute the demand to install Dr. Jack de Sequeira’s statue in the Assembly complex.
