PANAJI: Reigniting a debate over the installation of a statue of Jack de Sequeira at the assembly complex, Goa Forward Party (GFP) chief and town and country planning minister Vijai Sardesai on Wednesday called for defeat of politicos who opposed the installation of Sequeira’s statue at the Porvorim complex and said that it was a matter of time before the statue is installed.Speaking at a function to unveil a bust of Sequeira at Merces, Sardesai said that those elected representatives who opposed the demand for a life-size statue of the tall leaders should be taught a lesson and defeated in the elections.“The statue is just a matter of time,” the TCP minister said. “People who say that Jack de Sequeira should not get recognition should be taught a lesson. Otherwise we are politically impotent.”Hitting out at the regional parties for not giving Sequeira the due place he deserved, GFP leader said that they should know that the Opinion Poll was a bigger achievement than liberation as the historic referendum helped Goa to retain its own identity.A year ago GFP had sparked a debate on the issue and even received support from deputy speaker Michael Lobo . Chief minister Manohar Parrikar had deftly dodged the issue and placed the ball in speaker Pramod Sawant’s court.The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) core committee and also MGP had opposed erecting any statue in the complex, which currently has a statue of Goa’s first chief minister Dayanand Bandodkar.RDA minister Jayesh Salgaonkar also fuelled speculation when he said that the process to install Sequeira’s statue at the secretariat is on and that the government is committed to the demand.“Students come to the assembly and they hear MLAs talk and debate about Goa. But when they come, they should know who made this possible. That is why it is very important to install the statue of Jack de Sequeira at the secretariat,” Salgaonkar said.Sardesai also announced that a chapter on the Opinion Poll would be part of the school curriculum from the next academic year.The minister said that he has already spoken to Parrikar who has said that the history of the Opinion Poll and Jack de Sequeira would be part of the curriculum in the coming academic year.

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