PANAJI: The Goa Congress on Sunday attacked State Minister for Agriculture and Goa Forward Party (GFP) chief Vijai Sardesai, asking him to clarify his stand on the cattle slaughter ban.
The GFP is part of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in the State.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary Girish Chodankar said that Mr. Sardesai’s assurance that the State government would write to the Centre about its concerns over the notification was a mockery, as the beef ban was the creation of the NDA government.
“What people are expecting is action and not hollow demands or lip service through media,” Mr. Chodankar said.
He added that Mr. Sardesai was not in the Opposition, but was a part of the government in Goa and at the Centre.
He asked Mr. Sardesai to clarify where he stood in the debate instead of making futile attempts to regain the sympathy of the minority community.
“Mr Sardesai should either support the BJP’s agenda or openly or withdraw his support to the Government, instead of playing with sentiments of the peace-loving people of Goa. Citizens of Goa have sent home such people in the past, and will repeat the same when required,” he said.
The AICC secretary said that following the inflammatory remarks made by Sadhvi Saraswati, the State government should have filed an FIR against her and arrested her before she left the State, instead of issuing statements as a smokescreen for her to escape the law.