July 01, 2008
To,
The Editor,
Gomantak Times,
Gomantak Bhavan,
St. Inez-Panjim.
Via Fax No. 2421163 / 2422700 & E-mail
Kind Attn. Shri. Derek Almeida
Sir,
Sub: Press Statement for kind favour of Publication.
Please find the Party's response to the statement of the President of the
GPYC Shri. Sankalp Amonkar regarding the naxalite involvement of our Party
member Shri. Seby Rodrigues in the anti-mining agitations of the people of
Goa.
Since the accusations made by Shri. Manohar Parrikar and the President of
the GPYC are of a serious nature, we sincerely request you, sir, to give the
same prominence to this statement of the Party in your esteemed daily as
you have given to the statements made by Shri. Manohar Parrikar and the
President GPYC. Otherwise, we shall be left with no other choice but to
infer that you are not interested in publishing the other side of the story.
Thanking you,
Yours sincerely,
for GOA SU-RAJ PARTY
Sd/-
(Floriano C. Lobo)
Gen. Secretary/Spokesperson
Press Statement
The Goa Su-Raj Party has already gone on record to confirm that Sebastian
Rodrigues (Seby) is the valued member of this Party and that he is not a
naxalite as wrongly and maliciously publicized. If he were to have any
links with the naxal movements, he would cease to be associated with this
Party.
The Goa Su-Raj Party would like to set the record strait that like Seby
Rodrigues now, other Executive Members of this Party responsible for the
formation of this Party, had been, during their younger days, vigorously
campaigning in the mining belts against the unscrupulous and highly
detrimental mining activities in Goa to extract iron ore and, its ill
effects on the population, directly affecting their health, their
agricultural fields, their water sources as well as causing heavy pollution
to the waterways and rivers through the run-off of the mining rejects during
the monsoons, the weakening of the bunds lining the banks of the rivers due
to the movement of iron-ore laden barges, causing breaches in the bunds,
thereby destroying the cultivable fields through salt-water ingress. They
are fully supportive of the activities of their co-member Shri. Seby
Rodrigues and commend and congratulate him for his tireless work in bringing
awareness to the people of Goa over the increased irresponsible mining
activity that is killing them slowly.
Goa Su-Raj Party expects an apology from Shri. Manohar Parrikar, the
supposed to be 'responsible' leader of the Opposition, who has attacked with
slander and libel the good character of an individual whose only interest
has been to get a better deal for those generations of people, on whom the
mine-owning class has been trampling upon in the last more than fifty years
to inundate everything that directly sustains their lives, making them the
fugitives in their own lands, failing which, this Party will encourage and
support any Civil or Criminal action that our member Shri. Seby Rodrigues
may choose to take in a Court of Law (and not like the naxals 'in another
forum') to vindicate his good name and honor which Shri. Manohar Parrikar
has gone to great lengths to destroy to appease the mine owners.
In context with the statement made by Shri. Sankalp Amonkar, President of
the Goa Pradesh Youth Congress [GPYC] in the section of the press (GT -30
June, 2008), the Goa Su-Raj Party is glad to see that at last the worms are
coming out of the woodwork. The nexus between the Youth Wing of the Congress
Party and the mining lobby has been cleanly exposed.
It is unbelievable that a wing of the Congress Party should echo the words
of the (sworn) enemy of the parent Party without bothering to find out the
true facts of the matter for themselves, first, before coming out with a
cowardly statement which relies upon the ' foolish revelations' by Shri.
Manohar Parrikar.
End.
