MARGAO: In the wake of the opposition to the plans of Shri Ram Sena to set up a unit in Goa soon, Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco chose to remind the present government that the erstwhile Congress government had earlier banned the entry of the outfit in Goa and demanded that such a ban be put in place again.
"The Congress government had banned the entry of Shri Ram Sena chief Pramod Mutalik on April 1, 2009, but the new BJP government in Goa is completely soft towards fundamentalist elements especially the ones backed by the Sangh Parivar," said Lourenco, while addressing mediapersons on Thursday. "As a Goan, I am horrified to see a fanatic from a Karnataka-based fundamentalist fringe <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Fringe>dictating to use niz Goemkars on cultural policing," Lourenco said, while questioning who had given Mutalik the authority to prevent women<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Women> from entering night clubs and pubs in Goa. The Curtorim legislator pointed out that such a move to stop women from going to night clubs and pubs was a violation of their freedom enshrined in the constitution. "Even the late prime minister Pandit Nehru<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Jawaharlal-Nehru> once had remarked, 'Bade ajeeb hain Goa ke Log' which meant Goans are different in their thinking and approach and are peaceful people," said Lourenco, while pointing out that "Goa holds a supreme place in India when it comes to the practice of religious tolerance." QUESTION: Any comments? -- DEV BOREM KORUM Gabe Menezes.