Daijiworld Media Network- Panaji

Panaji, Jan 22: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has strongly condemned remarks made by Goa Forward Party (GFP) president Vijai Sardesai, who claimed that Goa's first chief minister, Dayanand Bandodkar, had an "allergy to the state's identity."

Sawant, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, called Sardesai's statement "not just a misrepresentation but a blatant and disgraceful insult to the legacy of Goa's first chief minister," fondly remembered as Bhausaheb Bandodkar.

He criticized the "anti-Bhausaheb and anti-Goa rhetoric," asserting that such remarks disrespected the very spirit of Goa.

The controversy began on January 16, during the inauguration of a sewage treatment plant in South Goa, where Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Venzy Viegas compared the vision of current CM Pramod Sawant to that of Bandodkar. Sardesai, opposing the comparison, called it "utterly amusing" and "extremely superficial."

The GFP leader went on to allege that both Sawant and Bandodkar shared a "desire to undermine Goa's unique identity and ethos" and claimed they intended to run Goa as "an extended territory of Maharashtra." He also accused Sawant of having an "allergy towards Goenchi Asmitai" (Goa's identity) and made a similar charge against Bandodkar.

In response, CM Sawant firmly rejected Sardesai's claims. He stated, "No! Bhausaheb Bandodkar never had an allergy to Goa's Asmitai! claiming that Bhausaheb made a mistake or harbored an allergy to Goa's identity is not just a misrepresentation but a blatant and disgraceful insult to the legacy of Goa's first chief minister."

Sawant described Bandodkar as "a towering figure who tirelessly championed Goa's identity and development" and criticized Sardesai, accusing him of having "an inflated ego" and a delusion of being "more Goan" than others.

"I unequivocally condemn this anti-Bhausaheb and anti-Goa rhetoric in its entirety. Such remarks are a disrespect to the very spirit of Goa," Sawant concluded.