Panaji: Several opposition leaders, including leader of opposition Yuri Alemao, AAP MLA Cruz Silva and AAP state president Valmiki Naik, were summoned to appear at the Panaji police station on Friday in connection with the agitation held outside town and country planning minister Vishwajit Rane’s house.Following the summons, the politicians appeared at the Panaji police station, with RGP MLA Viresh Borkar being present in a show of support. Alleging that BJP-led govt was trying to exert pressure on the opposition, Alemao said no crime was committed by the agitators who were protesting against land conversions under Section 39A of the TCP Act in Panaji.“It was my duty as an MLA and the opposition leader to stay with my colleague and protect the people of Goa. The police are hand in glove with the govt to stifle our voice. They can try to silence us as much as they want, but we will not hesitate. Our voice will not be silenced. I am not a purchasable commodity,” said Alemao.Borkar said that the BJP has brought in dictatorship to the state by trying to suppress dissenting voices. “When people protest on the street, this govt puts cases on them. People need to unite and oppose this govt and its destructive policies,” said Borkar.Naik and Silva, along with AAP senior vice president Sandesh Dessai, have strongly condemned the summons issued against them for participating in the protest against Section 39A.Naik said that the peaceful protest was an expression of their fundamental democratic right. He said the summons are a deliberate attempt to suppress voices that are courageously opposing the “draconian and anti-people policies” of BJP.Silva said that attempts to intimidate and silence dissenting voices will not stop AAP from fighting for the people of Goa. “BJP fears the growing support it is receiving from the people and feels threatened whenever citizens unite in protest against injustice,” said Silva.
