What did ‘shivrak’ Raut and Fadte do to stop raves and land grabs?
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 15 December 2015 23:38 IST
The Goa Praja Party was launched today, claiming it to be a ‘vegetarian party’. But neither its President nor its Secretary General could tell the media what steps they took to stop rave parties and prostitution or land conversions for ‘outsiders’ when they were the ministers.
The GPP was launched today, claiming it to have been formed to save Goa from cultural destruction through casinos, drugs and prostitution as well as destruction of green land for the ‘second homes’ for the outsiders.
Pandurang Raut, the President of the GPP, was the tourism minister during the Progressive Democratic Front regime, from February 1991 to April 1994.
Similarly, Prakash Fadte, the Secretary General, was the town and country planning minister for a brief period during Manohar Parrikar’s Bharatiya Janata Party regime from October 2000 to June 2002.
“I stopped Carnival with the support of the Church and started Shigmo parade in Panaji when I was the tourism minister, in order to preserve Goan culture”, said Raut.
But he avoided replying to the main question – what steps did he take to reduce rampant use of drugs, stop rave parties and control increasing prostitution during his tenure as the tourism minister.
Similar was the case of Fadte, who was the town and country planning minister in Parrikar’s government.
“I brought a legislation to protect interest of Goans who wanted to build small houses, by removing the compulsion of going to the Town and Country Planning Board for conversion of land up to 700 square meters”, he said.
But did he stop converting agricultural land or orchards into commercial zones?
There was no answer.
Raut however disclosed how he rejected the proposal of then Goa Governor Bhanu Prakash Singh to bring live casinos in Goa – on-shore or off-shore.
“What I stopped was brought in by the Congress government and rampantly permitted by today’s BJP government”, he said.
When asked whether he would allow politicians like Babush Monseratte to join his party, Raut quipped: “No question. Ours is a shivrak party”.
What does that mean?
He said: Pure and Transparent!
He however said some present and past legislators have approached him to join the GPP, but did not disclose the names.
Though he could not tell how many constituencies they would contest from, Raut said they have candidates identified in at least 10 constituencies right now.
It includes - besides his Bicholim and Fadte’s Mayem - Quepem, Sanguem, Tivim, Sankhli and Ponda.
Adv Mary Fernandes from Ponda is the Mahila President of the GPP.
They were supposed to launch the party with its 25-member team. But besides four more on the dais, others did not turn up till last minute.
This small outfits are nothing but front of leaders like Raut to later join the main parties and make quick bucks.