Portuguese week celebration opposed

NT NETWORK
Posted on 2008-11-08
PANAJI- Goa Freedom Fighters Association opposed the Semana de Cultura Portuguesa, being celebrated from November 7 to 14 in the state, besides opposing the 500th year celebration of the Portuguese arrival in Goa, tooth and nail.
Addressing a public meeting near the Martyrs’ Memorial at Azad Maidan, on Friday evening, the freedom fighter charged the programme associates as “greedy people,’’ and lauded the Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat, for refusing to be associated with the function in progress.
The freedom fighter, Mr Naguesh Karmali said, “They claim that they gave us civilization but I say they gave us nothing but `foreign disease’ and provided with over 40,000 visa to Goans and this was done through the Portuguese consulate in Goa.”
“We are even ready to sacrifice our pension that gives us only medical comforts but we will never accept the Portuguese culture what we objected and opposed to. You go to Mozambique or any other Portuguese colonies, they never allow them to step in,’’ stated Mr Karmali.
In the end, he said “we will never come on the roads but will do what we would like to oppose the celebration of 500th year in 2010.”
Mr Prabhakar Sinari, said, ``We will oppose any culture that destroys our culture and we will fight and oppose this menace of selling Goa to foreigners till the last drop of our blood.’’
“Portuguese brought `rape culture’ to the state and they raped our temples, women and culture and as such we will never allow their culture to flourish in the state and would oppose it tooth and nail.” said the Goa state RSS chief, Mr Subhash Velingkar.
Mr Kashinath Naik, ex-MLA, Mr Jayendranath Halankar, ex-sarpanch of Anjuna, Mr Palyekar, were among others, who spoke on the occasion.