A controversial decision by the Church in Goa, to lobby for only Catholic MlAs to resolve pending issues with the Government has come in for criticism from the Opposition parties in the State. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) criticised the move while the Congress claimed that the Church was only trying to extract its pound of flesh for having tacitly supported these MlAs in the 2012 State polls.
“Goa AAP expresses its disappointment with the decision of the Church body, Diocesan Society of Education, to selectively invite only Catholic MlAs to air its grievances against the current ruling Government’s educational bias against minority-run institutions in the State,” AAP spokesperson Oscar Rebello said on Friday.
The AAP said while it sympathised with the Church in dealing with the right wing party, it would be proper if the church had summoned all MlAs instead of just the Catholics. On Thursday, Fr. Zeferino D’Souza, secretary of the Diocesan Society of Education, which operates around 130 schools, had invited nine Catholic legislators from the Congress, the BJP, Goa Vikas Party, other Independents and two Ministers, for a meeting which also specifically discussed the delay in granting of permissions to four higher secondary schools run by the Society as well as failing to renew other permissions for several schools in the State.
D’Souza said, “The Catholic MlAs had been asked to request the Chief Minister to expedite ‘pending issues’ without going into what those issues were. “The discussion would be held with CM regarding education and various measures to improve the education field. Some practical difficulties are encountered we want Government to look into it. We want CM to resolve these issues,” D’Souza said.
State Congress president luizinho Faleiro said it was about time the church claimed its pound of flesh for having not so subtly asked its flock to vote against the Congress. “last time everybody was against the Congress. They supported these MlAs, so they have every right to ask these MlAs whom they have supported (during elections),” he told The Pioneer.
State Environment Minister Alina Saldanha, one of the nine Catholic legislators, who attended the meeting on Thursday, however, hinted that the DSE may have erred in summoning a Catholic-only delegation for a meeting which dealt with education-related issues. “Next meeting it has been decided by everybody that all MlAs will be called, because education is an issue which sees no communities. It is across communities,” Saldanha said.
Over the years, the role of the Goa Church, especially around election time, has been critical. After winning the 2012 lok Sabha elections, top BJP leaders claimed on record, that the role of the Church had been critical in swinging a significant section of the Catholic vote, which is traditionally a Congress votebank, towards the saffron party. The influential Roman Catholic Church in Goa is a spiritual guide to nearly 26 per cent of the State’s population which is Catholic and has crucial socio-political influence.