From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Goa

Panaji, Aug 28: Goa Leader of opposition Manohar Parrikar's utterance of word Chamar on the floor of house referring to the scheduled caste community has sparked off a major controversy in the state.
 
The scheduled caste community members have decided to have a protest march in the capital city of Panaji tomorrow expressing their anguish over the alleged `intentional reference' made by the leader of opposition during the ongoing state legislative assembly session.

Parrikar participating in the discussion on demands for home department had referred the word `chamar while talking about the tanner which, according to the SC community leaders, is an offence under scheduled caste act.

"The constitution has banned usage of the word chamar. We demand that Parrikar should withdraw the word from the assembly," Gangaram Morajkar, president of Goa state scheduled cast federation.

Besides the protest march, all the scheduled caste community members working as a government employees and banks will don blag badges tomorrow during office hours, he said.

Manohar Asgaonkar, a legislator representing Goa's lone SC constituency, ridiculed the Leader of Opposition's behaviour in the assembly.

"The cast-based remarks on the floor were unwarranted. It's violation of the constitution," Asgaonkar, who objected to the remarks on the floor on Monday, told reporters.

He said that he would personally participate in the rally tomorrow.

The leader of opposition, however, refused to withdraw the word stating that the objection on the word has been ruled out by the speaker himself on Monday.

"Whatever I have uttered on the floor is legally correct and right," Parrikar added.