While the absconding convict former Minister Mickky Pacheco is untraceable for the last three weeks, it came as no surprise when a Senior officer told me that he was very concerned about my personal safety. He advised me to take all extra precautions possible as an attack on my life was very imminent. That Mickky Pacheco and Manohar Parrikar are both outraged and fuming.
My only interaction ever with the often violent Mickky Pacheco was an abusive and threatening call I received from him in 2002 while he was the Tourism Minister over a letter I had written in the then Cyber voices column of the Navhind Times. Manohar Parrikar has however been a friend for many years and we have interacted a lot having addressed many public meetings together. But all said and done it is undeniable that Truth is always bitter. Buddha had said that three things cannot be long hidden: the Sun, the Moon and the Truth. Over the last 40 years of fighting against injustice, I have never been cowed down by any threats of consequences for speaking out fearlessly. In this current case I would have failed in my duty by remaining a mere spectator to a law maker high-handedly making a sheer mockery of the verdict passed against him by the highest Court of the country. At times one pays a heavy price in fighting public causes but one has to maintain the spirit and keep on fighting. Life is a short voyage; a journey - the end of which we know not. So let’s keep up the fight. So if a Mickky Pacheco orchestrated and 10 Akbar Road triggered missile lands on me, I can do nothing beyond wishing them well. May they enjoy the privilege of presiding and rejoicing over my last rites. They could as well plan it for the 24th of May (if they are not too impatient) to coincide as the end of what started 55 years ago. But I can assure them that the crusade against injustice is here to stay. Aires Rodrigues Advocate High Court C/G-2, Shopping Complex Ribandar Retreat, Ribandar – Goa – 403006 Mobile No: 9822684372 Office Tel No: (0832) 2444012 Email: [email protected] Or [email protected] You can also reach me on Facebook.com/ AiresRodrigues Twitter@rodrigues_aires
