Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Goa Chief Minister, Dr. Pramod Sawant, vehemently condemned a statement made by Vijai Sardesai, the President of the Goa Forward Party, regarding the legacy of Goa’s first Chief Minister, Bhausaheb Bandodkar. This controversy has sparked a heated debate about Goa’s identity and the historical contributions of its leaders.
Dr. Sawant’s tweet was a direct response to Sardesai’s assertion that Bhausaheb Bandodkar had an “allergy to Goenchi Asmitai” (Goa’s identity).
Sawant strongly refuted this claim, stating, “No Bhausaheb Bandodkar never had an allergy to Goa’s Asmitai Claiming that Bhausaheb made a mistake or harbored an allergy to Goa’s identity is not just a misrepresentation but a blatant and disgraceful insult to the legacy of Goa’s first Chief Minister.”
Sawant emphasized that Bandodkar was a “towering figure who tirelessly championed Goa’s identity and development.” He further criticized Sardesai, suggesting that the real issue lies with Sardesai’s “inflated ego, which fuels his delusion that individuals like him are somehow ‘more Goan’ than others.”.
The controversy began on January 16, 2025, when Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Venzy Viegas compared the current Chief Minister, Dr. Pramod Sawant, to Bhausaheb Bandodkar during the inauguration of a sewage treatment plant in his constituency. This comparison was met with criticism from various political figures, including Vijai Sardesai, who found the analogy “utterly amusing” and suggested that both leaders had a desire to undermine Goa’s unique identity and ethos.
The public and political figures have reacted strongly to both Sardesai’s statement and Sawant’s response.
