Panaji — Amarnath Panajikar, Chairman of the Congress Media Cell, criticized the BJP government, led by Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant, for failing to properly commemorate Goa Statehood Day. Panajikar accused the BJP of deliberately downplaying the event to prevent the Congress from receiving credit for Goa’s statehood.
Panajikar expressed his dismay that the Department of Information & Publicity only released small advertisements in a few local newspapers, with no mention of an official state-level function to mark the day. “Shame on the BJP government under Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant for neglecting Goa Statehood Day. The Congress government made Goa the 25th state of the Republic of India, and this historic achievement should be celebrated,” he said.
He accused the BJP government of prioritizing its propaganda over important state events, noting that Chief Minister Sawant was in Uttar Pradesh for BJP canvassing instead of attending Statehood Day events in Goa. “This shows his priority is BJP propaganda and not the Statehood Day of Goa,” Panajikar added.
Panajikar also highlighted the discontinuation of the “Kala Gaurav” award presentation, a tradition established by the Congress government to honor 60 Goan artists on Statehood Day. He emphasized that the Congress government had always respected the sentiments of Goans, citing the Opinion Poll, recognition of Konkani, and statehood as major contributions.
The BJP government, Panajikar claimed, has consistently ignored important historical days like Opinion Poll Day and Statehood Day because the credit for these achievements goes to the Congress. “It is the duty of the government to celebrate Goa Statehood Day with grand celebrations. Goa’s Legislative Assembly, comprising 40 MLAs, and Dr. Pramod Sawant’s position as Chief Minister are all results of the statehood granted by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi,” he said.
Panajikar concluded by asserting that the Congress Party, upon coming to power at the Centre, would ensure all historic days are commemorated with official state-level functions. He confidently predicted a Congress victory in the upcoming elections, stating, “It is certain that the INDIA Government will come to power at the Centre on 4th June 2024.”
