Status: Not ApprovedHEAD: 24_Goa_MS_Viresh Borkar strike Byline: NoneMurari.Shetye@timesofindia.comPanaji: Even after minister Pramod Sawant urged St Andre MLA Viresh Borkar to call off his indefinite hunger strike, Borkar on Tuesday refused to withdraw it until the govt scrapped Section 39(A) of the TCP Act and terminated the police personnel involved in manhandling him and others at the TCP office on Saturday.“We want to tell the minister that there is a need to scrap Section 39(A) of the TCP Act. We want govt to take a Cabinet decision to scrap Section 39(A) and declare to the public that govt will scrap Section 39(A),” Borkar said. “The Advocate General should file an affidavit in court and inform that govt decided to scrap all the proposals cleared under Section 39(A). Govt should introduce the Bill in the Assembly to scrap Section 39(A) and pass it in the Assembly,” Borkar demanded.Borkar said that the minister should agree to the demands of the Goans. “We need concrete assurance from the govt that Section 39(A) would be scrapped in the state to save Goa,” Borkar said. “If govt failed to take a Cabinet decision to scrap Section 39(A), then this agitation and my indefinite hunger strike will continue.”Borkar said that massive agitation would continue if govt did not scrap Section 39(A). “Until our demands are fulfilled, I will not call off my indefinite hunger strike. CM told me to take care of my health, but I want to tell you one thing: Goa’s health is my priority instead of my health,” Borkar said.Borkar urged all political parties, NGOs, and the public to unite to fight the battle. Borkar said that he demanded that 9 proposals of land use in the St Andre constituency should be scrapped, including 4 that got approved. Borkar said that they demanded that provisional and approved proposals should be scrapped, to which the minister said he needed to check.Sawant, along with WRD minister Subhash Shirodkar, met Borkar, who was on an indefinite hunger strike for the last 4 days. Sawant held a meeting with Borkar that lasted nearly 20 minutes.“I am concerned about Viresh’s health condition. I spoke to his doctor. I discussed Borkar’s demands positively. I urged him to call off his strike. I told him that he should discuss the issues in the Assembly, and an appropriate decision will be taken at the right forum,” Sawant said.Sawant said that, based on his assurance, Borkar would withdraw the indefinite hunger strike. After Sawant left Azad Maidan, Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, other opposition MLAs, and RGP President Manoj Parab held a meeting to decide whether to withdraw the indefinite hunger strike.Alemao said that they urged him to withdraw the strike as his health was deteriorating, but he decided to continue his hunger strike.Borkar’s indefinite hunger strike completed its 4th day on Tuesday, despite his health condition starting to deteriorate. Borkar on Tuesday was shifted to hospital, but later he returned to Azad Maidan to continue the indefinite hunger strike until govt agreed to scrap Section 39(A) of the TCP Act.Borkar and agitators protested since Saturday to scrap Section 39(A) and to suspend the Panaji PI for manhandling Borkar at the TCP office at Patto.Thousands of protesters, including political leaders and NGOs, agitated outside both residences of TCP minister Vishwajit Rane in Dona Paula on Monday, demanding that Section 39(A) of the TCP Act be scrapped. MSID:: 128756810 413 |
