The controversy over public meeting allegedly held by the Goa Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Dabolim airport premises on Saturday took a serious turn with a formal complaint being filed against the same.
A complaint was filed on Sunday by social activist Adv. Aires Rodrigues against the alleged “illegal and unauthorised” public meeting in the premises of Dabolim Airport, which was addressed by BJP national president Amit Shah.
Simultaneously, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Shantaram Naik, through a statement, has taken a strong objection to the said BJP meeting in the premises of Dabolim Airport area which is in occupation of the Airport Authority of India and is recorded in the land survey records of the Defence Ministry.
He also sought action from the Election Commission of India (ECI) alleging misuse of party symbol by the BJP.
In the complaint — jointly addressed to the Secretary of Ministry of Civil Aviation, Chief Secretary of Goa and the Director General of Police — Adv. Rodrigues has sought that an FIR be registered against the organisers of the “illegal” public meeting, besides Mr. Shah and all the other dignitaries present at the meeting, as they cannot claim to be ignorant of the legal provisions.
The complaint claimed that probably for the first time ever in the history of the country, a public meeting was organised in the high security precincts of an airport.
Pointing out that the Goa civilian airport functions within the naval air base and is a defence establishment, Adv. Rodrigues further stated in his complaint that a carpeted podium, chairs for the dignitaries and a sound system were all set up at the entrance of the Dabolim airport terminal, where Mr. Shah arrived at 11.15 a.m. and addressed the public meeting with the airport and police officials looking the other way while the law was being breached.
The complainant also objected to the presence of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, Union Minister Sripad Naik, Goa BJP chief Vinay Tendulkar, Ministers and MLAs, besides hundreds of people who were herded to the airport.
He has called for an immediate inquiry to ascertain who were responsible for allowing the public meeting and that stringent action be taken against them.
Mr. Naik has urged the Civil Aviation Minister to file an FIR against Mr. Shah and the Chief Minister of Goa for criminal tress-pass, mischief and breach of trust under Indian Penal Code.
On Saturday evening AICC Secretary Girish chodankar had condemned the holding of the BJP meeting in the airport premises and demanded action against all involved in it.
Repeated attempts to get the BJP response over the issue failed to materialise.
