Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: “Every elected representative in the country, while taking an oath of secrecy, assures that he is committed to the Constitution of India. However, the South Goa candidate of the INDI Alliance Capt. Viriato Fernandes made a shocking and condemnable statement during his campaign that the Constitution of India was forcibly imposed on Goa in 1961. This statement has disrespected the Constitution of India. The Election Commission must take serious note of the incident and Capt. Viriato should be disqualified from contesting the elections,” demanded BJP’s Margao MLA Digambar Kamat.
Margao MLA Kamat was addressing a press conference at the BJP’s party office in Panaji. BJP’s state general secretary Damu Naik, former Aldona MLA Glenn Ticlo, and former minister Dilip Parulekar were present.
MLA Kamat further asked, who was the Prime Minister of the country when the Constitution of India came into force in Goa? The Congress party should clarify whether it agrees with Capt. Viriato Fernandes’ statement. We also need clarification whether the then Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru’s decision about implementing the Indian Constitution in Goa was right or wrong according to the Congress, and what is the Congress party stand on it?
A video of Capt. Viriato Fernandes’ speech has gone viral online. It is completely wrong for him to claim that he has been misquoted. MLA Shri. Kamat demanded that the general public and also Election Commission of India take their decision after watching the video.
BJP’s State General Secretary Shri. Damu Naik said the Congress manifesto has stated that it will respect the Constitution. But the Congress candidate himself is seen disrespecting the Constitution.
The issues taken forward by Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant through Swayampurna Goa have been included in the Congress manifesto. The Congress manifesto is bogus and totally misleading. We condemn this manifesto, said Shri. Damu Naik. He expressed confidence that the BJP candidates in North and South Goa will be elected with a huge margin.
Meanwhile, the BJP has lodged a complaint with Chief Electoral Officer Ramesh Verma (IAS) over Capt. Viriato Fernandes’ remarks. The INDI Alliance candidate has made statements against the Constitution. This speech is a clear case of spewing venom against the sacred Constitution and thereby violating the Model Code of Conduct pertaining to Lok Sabha elections. This should be taken seriously. Therefore, it will be only appropriate that the Election Commission of India takes strong cognizance of this hate speech and terminates the candidature of Capt. Viriato Fernandes said the complaint.
