Sardesai thanks Prabhu

PANAJI: Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai, who is a senior cabinet minister in the Manohar Parrikar-led coalition government, has thanked Minister for Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu for taking a decision to have the flight announcements at airports in local languages too.

Sardesai told this daily that he had spoken to Prabhu over telephone on December 23 demanding that the flight announcements at the Dabolim airport should be made in Konkani language. He said that the minister was quick to take a decision in this regard. Thanking Prabhu through a tweet, Sardesai said, “Our language is our identity and you’ve, on one prompt and express decision, celebrated the linguistic and cultural diversity of our nation, and answered, in no uncertain terms, those who tend to ridicule and belittle it.”

He said that the decision taken by Prabhu is in sync with the ideology of the party, which supports that priority should be given to local language and Konkani in Goa.

Sardesai had stated on December 22 in Margao that airlines should not be allowed to operate at the Dabolim airport if they do not make the in-flight announcements in Konkani. Sardesai was mocked by the opposition Congress for his statement.

Without naming Congress party, Sardesai said that our language is our third parent and those who mock its relevance, its importance and its evolutionary role of shaping our identity, mock those who speak it, value it and promote it.