Aldona MLA condemns imposition of Sec 163 at Azad Maidan
PANAJI: Congress Aldona MLA Carlos Alvares Ferreira on Monday condemned the action of the state government in obtaining an order from the North Goa Collector to impose Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (BNS) Act to ban public gatherings at Azad Maidan in Panaji in view of a planned protest by Mirabag villagers.
Ferreira stated that the government is trampling upon the rights of the people and is suppressing the voice of the common man.
“I feel the North Goa Collector was unwilling to issue the order and was pressurised to do so last night. Be it the BJP party or the BJP-led government in any state or the Centre, they do not like to hear any negativity or anything said against the government or the party. So they immediately use police force, throw people in jail, or file sedition cases or even give it a communal angle, which is indicative of Hitler’s rule,” he said.
The MLA said that the government is democratically elected and needs to hear the opposition.
“The justification given for imposing Section 163 is the Ponda bypoll. Ponda is not located near Panaji like Taleigao or Santa Cruz. So there is no way the crowd from Mirabag can cause a disturbance in Ponda. The government is supposed to be of the people, for the people and by the people. But the government is trampling upon the rights of the people. It is a very sad day. Doing this at the last minute is an indicative step that this is done to prevent these people from going to court and getting any order,” he said.
“This is the way the government is working. It is time people realise how they function, how they suppress the voices of the common people who are fighting for their rights and survival. This is a bad day for Goa,” he added.
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