Goa Congress repeats demand for ban on right-wing body

The Congress in Goa on Wednesday reiterated its demand for a ban on the Sanatan Sanstha and likened state ministers said to be linked to the Goa- headquartered right-wing organisation to US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

State Congress spokesperson Sunil Kawthankar told the media here that ministers in Goa's coalition government like the Public Works Department minister, his brother and their wives are actively involved in it (Sanstha).

"They have become sympathisers of a terrorist organisation. That is why the Goa government is soft-pedalling on banning Sanathan Sanstha... the ministers are like Donald Trump -- they are trying to communally divide society to do their politics," the Congress leader said.

"We stand by our contention that Sanatan Sanstha is a terror organisation and should be banned. The involvement of its members in cases like murder of rationalist-author Narendra Dabholkar and blasts in Goa and Maharashtra are coming up again and again," Kawthankar said.

Reacting to the Congress charge, minister Deepak Dhavalikar said the Congress was raking up the issue for the sake of publicity and dared the opposition party's spokesperson to publicly show if he along with his brother and PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar were involved in crimes allegedly committed by Sanstha members.

Dhavalikar said members of all religions lived in harmony in Goa and there was no place for communal tension. "But I am proud of my religion and I will do whatever is necessary to this end," the minister said.

--IANS

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