Goemkarponn Desk
PANAJI: Aam Aadmi Party strongly condemned the brutal lathi charge and tear gassing by the police against the peaceful residents of Melauli yesterday and christened Goa Chief Minister as Salazar Pramod for using such brutality against common people.
Briefing media persons AAP spokesperson Sandesh Telekar said the police lathi charge yesterday was a clear sign that democracy is no longer prevalent in Goa where it is dictatorship that has taken over and said these are bad days for the people.
“The BJP has launched a war against farmers whether it is in Melauli or Sanguem or for that matter all over the country where the farm bills have farmers protesting in the national capital for days now and where some farmers have already lost their lives,” he said.
Sandesh asked the chief minister to realise that decisions taken about Goa should be done so in consultation with Goans and said that protests against government projects are because they have been decided without consulting the local people.
“The protests against double tracking of railway track, widening of road, power transmission lines through reserved forest areas are occurring because the people were not consulted over these projects which are primarily anti-Goan projects as they do not serve Goa in any way but are undertaken to help non-Goans,” he said.
Sandesh vociferously demanded the immediate suspension from service of Police Inspector Sagar Ekoskar for his brutal act of stamping the chest of an elderly lady and asked whether this is the way to treat a Goan mother in her own land.
“The video of Ekoskar’s act is so disturbing and the chief minister has no option but to take action against him and we demand his immediate suspension,” said Sandesh adding that failure to take action would mean that the chief minister also does not have any respect for women and elderly people.
While lauding AAP volunteer Vishvesh Prabhu for standing by the people of Melaulim he said Vishvesh was arrested only because he was with the people and said the brutality by police on the poor tribal population of Melauli has to be condemned by all and sundry.
He said the police brutality shown yesterday is nothing by a reflection of the arrogance that has crept in to the chief minister who now shows only disdain to the poor and the downtrodden masses while dancing to the whims and fancies of the moneyed classes.
He asked the chief minister to climb down from his high horse and listen to the people so that their problems and grievances can be solved. “People of Goa are not against IIT but acquiring lands against the will of the people to build it is just not the way to go ahead,” said Sandesh.
