'Good for Christians if Hindus avoid convent schools'

Caitu Silva, a legislator of the ruling alliance in Goa, on Wednesday sarcastically said that if Hindus do not want to send their children to minority institution-run convent schools, then Catholic students would stand a better chance of admission.

"If Hindus don't want to send their children to convents, then better for us. There will be more seats for Catholic students to avail a better education," Silva told reporters at the state secretariat on Wednesday.

The comments by Silva, a Goa Vikas Party legislator from the Catholic-dominated Benaulim constituency, come after a Goa cabinet minister and his wife have repeatedly exhorted parents to avoid admitting their wards to minority institution-run convent schools because they claim the education and atmosphere there takes children away from Hindu culture.

Over the last three days on numerous occasions, Goa's Factories and Boilers minister Deepak Dhavalikar and his wife Lata have exhorted Hindu parents against sending their children to convent schools.

The couple have also asked women to wear kumkum (vermillion) and sarees to avoid being subjected to eve-teasing and said that adoption of Western culture leads to rape.