Goa's Congress unit to administer oath of tolerance, says state president

Accusing the BJP-led central and Goa governments of fostering intolerance, the Congress will next week administer an oath of tolerance here in protest, its state president Luizinho Faleiro said on Friday.

"We propose to administer the oath of tolerance so as to cherish, safeguard and upkeep the principles of unity, peace, compassion and brotherhood amongst our citizenry," Faleiro told a press conference here.

The oath will be administered at the Lohia gounds in South Goa's Margao town, 35 km from Panaji, on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

"As a component of conscious citizenry we can't be mute spectators to the foisting of this disturbing agenda of polarisation of our populace. This culture of intolerance, hatred, vendetta and vengeance needs to be stopped and nipped in the bud in the interest of preserving our country's inclusive ideals," said Faleiro, who is also a member of the Congress Working Committee.

Faleiro said efforts were also being made by a coalition partner of the state government to criticise convent schools run by Roman Catholic Church in Goa, a state where minorities account for more than 30 percent of the population.

He said a top leader of the Maharshtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), a partner in the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government, had already been making noises about Roman Catholic Church-run convent schools in the state.

"They are already trying to vitiate the atmosphere by attacking convent schools in Goa. Somewhere this has to stop," Faleiro said.

In April, Minister for Factories and Boilers and senior MGP leader Deepak Dhavalikar said: "Children going to convent schools do not learn Indian culture and it is high time Hindu culture is imparted to Hindu children."