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Cops good at putting critics in their place, says Goa’s Pramod Sawant
Pramod Sawant appeared to be particularly sore at criticism of his government on social media platforms such as Twitter, which he underlined, “tarnishes the image of the state”.
PANAJI: Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant, who has been the target of sharp attacks from the opposition in recent weeks, on Friday asked his political rivals to target him, but not the government, which he said, can hurt the state’s image.
“It is easy to criticise. Hurl all the abuses you want at me, but not at the department,” he said at an event to open a new police station in Colvale, a north Goa village 25km from Panaji. He next turned to the police personnel among his audience at the event, asking them to put their critics in their place and adding that “the police are very good at this”.
“I have seen that among political parties everyone is randomly waking up and talking against the police. In the child kidnapping case, they were talking against the police. What do they think of themselves? We need the police to show them what it is,” Sawant said, a reference to the kidnapping of a month-old baby from the Goa Medical College and Hospital on June 12. The infant was traced to a north Goa village the following day; her abductor wanted to raise the child as her own.
Sawant appeared to be particularly sore at criticism of his government on social media platforms such as Twitter, which he underlined, “tarnishes the image of the state”.
“Such politicians should be taught a lesson by the people. For their own personal gain, they are tainting the state’s image by slamming the police, tourism and education,” Sawant said.
“Do not criticise the state on social media, Twitter. My advice to them (opponents) is that the state belongs to everyone… For the sake of politics, do not damage the name of the state. Let our image in the country not be tarnished,” Sawant said.
This is the second time in two days that Sawant has accused his political opponents of ruining the state’s image when they criticise his government, his comeback to his political rivals who are stepping up pressure on the chief minister ahead of next year’s assembly elections. The attacks on the chief minister were particularly bitter last month when disruption of oxygen had led to scores of death at Goa’s state-run hospital. Since then, the opposition has also been throwing barbs at the ruling party over what they say is rising crime in the state, attacks on activists and the kidnapping of the infant from hospital.
To be sure, Sawant emphasised that he did not mind people targeting him.
“You can criticise politicians, I do not worry about it. As a CM, I am used to abuses I do not mind. Do not slander my department. That is their job, our task is to do our job. Appreciate the good work done by doctors. Appreciate the work by the police department,” the chief minister said.
