Goa: CM Sawant’s conversion statement divisive, says LoP Michael Lobo

Lobo was speaking at a party event in Mapusa for handing over the charge to the newly appointed North Goa district president Virendra Shirodkar. Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Amit Patkar was also present at the event.

Lobo said, “This never happens in our Goa and it should never happen. That is why all of us Goans need to unite.” When asked if Sawant was targeting any one community, Lobo replied, “He is targeting everyone.”

On April 15, Sawant had said, “Once again religion is being attacked. I am not telling lies. We have seen that in various parts of Goa people are moving towards religious conversion. Taking advantage of different things – someone is poor, someone is a numerical minority, somebody is backward, someone who does not have food or a job – such people are being taken (in) in this manner. We say that by mistake, in such circumstances, there should be no religious conversion.” The CM was speaking at the installation ceremony (sthapana) of the Kudnem Temple at Jalmi Wasda in Kudnem.

He said, “The government will never allow religious conversion but even then I feel, people need to be vigilant, the temple trusts in villages need to be vigilant, families need to be vigilant.”

Lobo said on Monday, “There is no conversion happening in Goa. I want to tell him this. Let him show me. I will come with him. Let him show me where conversions are happening. He just shot in the air, may be to please his bosses or somebody like that, which is wrong. He has disturbed the people of Goa by giving this wrong statement. This is a divisive statement. In Goa, we have harmony. We are inclusive, we stay together. It’s not appropriate to make such a statement especially for the CM… This is sending the wrong signal to all the people, different communities, caste, creed.”

Lobo said that Sawant, who was recently sworn in as the chief minister for his second term, has started his stint “in a negative way”. He said, “With what is going on all over India, he just tried to show that he, too, is a leader. He wants to show Goa mein bhi aisa hai. Goa mein aisa nahi hai.”