Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, Jul 2: Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah’s public meeting at the Goa Dabolim Airport complex has triggered a controversy with the opposition condemning the move and terming it as “gross misuse of power”.
On Saturday, a red-carpet welcome was rolled out for Shah by the BJP party workers at Dabolim airport. A podium, sound-system was arranged for Shah to address party workers. Though the impromptu meeting interfered with the functioning of airport activities and was a hurdle to other passengers, airport authority officials and security personnel chose to be passive onlookers.
The meeting took place in presence of Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and Union Minister Sripad Naik.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) Secretary Girish Chodankar lashed out at BJP and said that the party has lost the sense of good governance. “We strongly condemn the act of the BJP holding a meeting at the Goa airport complex which was addressed by their president Amit Shah in the presence of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar,” he said in a statement issued at Panaji.
Chodankar also demanded that the Airport Authority of India (AAI) conducts an investigation on its officials who issued clearances for the meeting.
Meanwhile, activist lawyer Aires Rodrigues said that he will be filing a complaint against Goa airport officials with the Airports Authority of India for flouting airport regulations. The civilian activates of the Dabolim Airport operates within the naval air base. The passengers who are being picked or dropped are not even allowed a five minutes halt.
“This is probably the first time a political meeting has taken place within the precincts of an airport anywhere in the country. Allowing a political meeting in an airport which is part of a defence establishment is not acceptable,” he added.
The BJP President, who is on a two-day visit to Goa, is scheduled to inaugurate BJP office in South Goa on Sunday.