Panaji, Jan 14 (IANS): The Congress party in Goa on Tuesday demanded postponement of the statewide celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Indian Constitution on January 16, because it clashes with the feast of St. Joseph Vaz, the first Goan to be canonised as a Catholic saint.

"The Congress strongly condemns the attitude of the Director of Education for fixing such a program on the day revered by Catholics and many members of various communities in Goa," Congress state spokesperson Trajano D'Mello said on Tuesday.

"Therefore, we demand that the CM intervene and postpone the program for another date as every Catholic head would like to participate in the adoption of the Constitution Day as the same is sacred to every Indian Catholic," D'Mello said.

Born in Goa in the 1600s, Vaz was canonised in 2015 by Pope Francis for his work in the propagation of the Catholic faith in Sri Lanka. His father hailed from Sancoale village in Goa, where Saint Vaz studied elementary school as a young child, while his village home is now regarded as a sacred sanctuary.

More than a quarter of Goa's 1.5 lakh population is Catholic in religious orientation.