Panaji : Goa’s Leader of Opposition Michael Lobo on Thursday warned against efforts made by “outside elements” to stoke communal hatred in Goa.
Speaking at a function at the state Congress headquarters on the occasion of Babasaheb Ambedkar’s birth anniversary, Lobo stressed that Goa had managed to maintain a sense of communal harmony for centuries and said that the harmonious spirit needed to be preserved for the years to come.
“You have seen in recent days what has happened. Efforts are on to divide us. People from Goa should think, who is doing this? Are there Goans involved in this? I do not know. Some persons from outside are trying to divide us,” he said.
Lobo’s comments come days after 15 persons were arrested in connection with minor violence on Ram Navami day, when groups of people from two religious communities clashed in the port town of Vasco in South Goa.
“The government of the day should take responsibility, it should not shy away from this. This is something which is not acceptable. We have friends across religions. We sit with them, we eat with them. But we should not look at them in a different light,” he added.
–IANS