Expressing stiff opposition to naming of the Mopa international airport after former chief minister, Manohar Parrikar, the Opposition leaders on Sunday warned that if the BJP-led government goes ahead and names the airport after Parrikar then a new political equation will emerge in Goa and the government in power will have to bear the consequence of the re-grouping of political forces in the state.
The opposition also slammed the adamant attitude of the ruling government which fails to understand the pulse of the people and acknowledge the wishes of the common men.
“If the government does not give Goa’s first CM Dayanand Bandodkar’s name to the Mopa international airport then this government will have no right to govern. Goa is on the edge. If they fail to name the airport after the first CM of Goa then a new political grouping will take place in the State and we will leave no stone unturned to bring that change,” thundered Subhash Velingkar, former RSS chief of Goa.
Velingkar was addressing a public meeting organised by ‘Bhausaheb Bandodkar International Mopa Airport Namikaran Samiti – Goa’ in Mapusa to demand that the new airport coming up in Pernem be named after the first CM of Goa.
Former Union Minister Ramakant Khalap, Gajanan Mandrekar, Vasudev Deshprabhu, union leader Christopher Fonseca, Ramarao Wagh, Vijay Bhike, Avinash Bhosle and others were also present.
Continuing, the former RSS chief said that the first CM Dayanand Bandodkar had inculcated values and enhanced the culture of Goa in his governance but since 2012 the BJP-led government has only destroyed the culture of Goa.
Former union minister Ramakant Khalap demanded to defeat the plan of this government which was trying to turn Goa into Singapore by increasing the number of casinos in the State.
“The issue is not only limited to naming the Mopa airport after Bhausaheb Bandodkar but it is necessary to name it to preserve the precious land and Goemkarpon,” Khalap said and appealed to the government to consider the sentiment of the people.
He said the present BJP-led government was standing on the foundation laid by the first CM and it would be wrong not to name the airport after Bandodkar.
He further informed that he has sent a letter to the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Civil Aviation requesting to give the name of Bhausaheb Bandodkar to the airport as the first CM’s name is associated with Goa's identity and culture.
