Goa Chief Minister's Appeal Fails to End MLA's Hunger Strike Over TCP Act
In a significant political development in Goa, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant met with St Andre MLA Viresh Borkar on Tuesday in an attempt to persuade him to call off his indefinite hunger strike. However, the RGP leader firmly refused to relent until the government meets his key demands, setting the stage for continued agitation.
Borkar's Unwavering Demands and Government Response
Viresh Borkar, who has been on a hunger strike for four days, presented a clear set of non-negotiable conditions to Chief Minister Sawant. His primary demand is the immediate scrapping of Section 39(A) of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act, a controversial provision that has sparked widespread protests. Borkar insisted that the government must take a cabinet decision to abolish this section and publicly declare it, with the advocate general filing an affidavit in court to confirm the cancellation of all proposals cleared under it.
Additionally, Borkar demanded the termination of police personnel who allegedly manhandled him at the TCP office in Patto on Saturday. In a related late-night development, Panaji Police Inspector Vijay Kumar Chodankar and other personnel were transferred out of the city police station, though this did not satisfy Borkar's call for their dismissal.
The High-Stakes Meeting and Its Aftermath
The meeting between Chief Minister Sawant and MLA Borkar lasted approximately 20 minutes and was also attended by WRD Minister Subhash Shirodkar. Sawant expressed deep concern for Borkar's health, having consulted with his doctor, and urged him to end the strike. The chief minister proposed that the issues be discussed in the Assembly, where appropriate decisions could be made in the right forum. He emphasized that based on this assurance, Borkar should call off his hunger strike.
Despite this, Borkar remained resolute, stating, "Until our demands are fulfilled, I will not call off my indefinite hunger strike. The CM asked me to take care of my health, but I want to tell you one thing: Goa's health is my priority instead of my own health." He also called for the scrapping of nine land use proposals in his St Andre constituency, including four that have already been approved, to which Sawant responded that he needed to review the matter.
Political Support and Continued Protest
Following the chief minister's departure from Azad Maidan, a meeting was held involving Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, other opposition MLAs, and RGP president Manoj Parab to decide on the future of the hunger strike. Alemao revealed that they too urged Borkar to withdraw due to his deteriorating health, but he chose to continue the protest. Earlier, at around 12:20 AM on Tuesday, Borkar was briefly shifted to a hospital but later returned to Azad Maidan to resume his strike.
The agitation has garnered substantial support, with thousands of protesters, including political leaders and NGOs, demonstrating outside the residences of TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane in Dona Paula on Monday. Borkar has appealed to all political parties, NGOs, and the public to unite in this fight, warning that the massive agitation will persist if the government fails to scrap Section 39(A). The protest, which began on Saturday, aims to pressure the government into taking decisive action on both the TCP Act and the alleged police misconduct.
