GFP slams ally MGP for opposing Sequeria statue demand

The Goa Forward Party (GFP) has accused its alliance partner Maharashtrwadi Gomantak Party (MGP) of trying to "trivialise" Goan heroes by opposing installation of Dr Jack Sequeira's statue at the Assembly complex.
The GFP, headed by state minister Vijai Sardesai, had demanded installation of the statue of Sequeira, known as the "Father of the 1967 Opinion Poll" that ensured Goa remained as a separate state after its libertarian from Portuguese in 1961.
The GFP and MGP are important constituents of Manohar Parrikar-led NDA government.
Opposing the GFP's demand, the MGP instead sought erecting the statue of freedom fighter T B Cunha.

Sardesai today said the party views the MGP's demand for statue as "great amusement and utter disappointment".
"Amusement because it's as if they (MGP) discovered the word statue after our demand for Dr Sequeira's statue, which the GFP, in keeping with our agenda of honouring Goan heroes, have successfully brought to the consciousness of the people," he said.

"A disappointment is because, by making this flurry of statue demands, the MGP is trying to trivialise and marginalise the most important event in the Goan history, and its leaders," he said.
Sardesai alleged that the MGP was not interested in any Goa-centric issues but rather seems opposing them.

The GFP had said they would try to unite various parties to pass a resolution in the Assembly for erecting Sequeira's statue during the Budget session, beginning later this month.
The BJP had decided not to support the installation of any other statue on the assembly complex apart from the one existing of Goa's first Chief Minister Dayanand Bandodkar.