Row over Gandhi Jayanti holiday 'cancellation' in Goa
PTI, PANAJI | 15 March 2015 21:13 IST

Controversy erupted over scrapping by Goa government of Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 from the list of public holidays but Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar later said it could be an act of "mischief" or a "typing mistake".
Gandhi Jayanti, the birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation, was not marked as a holiday in the current year's calender, released yesterday, triggering strong reaction with Congress terming it as an "anti-national" act.
Interestingly, Gandhi Jayanti disappeared from the list of commercial and industrial holidays released on a day when the Mahatma's statue was unveiled in London.
Strongly opposing the BJP-ruled state's decision, senior Congress leader P C Chacko said, "BJP's mindset is a very sick mindset. ... Can any state government take a decision like this? This kind of decision they have taken is anti-national."
He said the central government "should immediately direct the state government to correct this. I am still in shock after hearing about this. No government in India has the right to do that. This is a very senseless decision which they have taken."
His party colleague and Congress spokesman Anand Sharma also said no state government can do it because it is a national holiday.
"They can't do it. Gandhi is the father of nation. Even last year children were asked to go to school on October 2," Sharma said.
RSS refused to be drawn into the controversy but said the number of holidays in the country should come down for improved work culture.
"I don't know the reasons for this decision. We will see why it happened. But, according to a survey, people in India hardly work for 150-155 days a year on account of holidays. Their number must come down for better work culture," RSS General Secretary Suresh Joshi said in Nagpur when asked about the Goa government's decision.
Seeking to douse the angry reactions, the Chief Minister said,"it could be a typing mistake. It is not an intentional mistake.
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With the BJP in power in India/Goa, and its crazy Goa Ministers/MLA`s well known for spitting out verbal nonsense ,could they be aiming to replace Ghandi Jayanti holiday with that of Narendra Modi`s Birthday?.
Could Laximikant Parsekars Birthday, be considered a Holiday in future (in Goa).?
Please remember a nutty Mr Parsekar, has recently questioned Gods wisdom, in his creation of creating disabled people.
Has Mr Parsekaar ever looked in a mirror and looked if he has any aesthetic(human profile) disabilities?
I wonder if short people, bounding on dwarfism and with a twisted and contorted face, was Gods Mistake too!!
- N.Fernandes, London | 17 th March 2015 11:57
BJP is out to cancel Christmas and Eid holidays in the coming days! BJP will start Nathuram Godse Jayanti declaring a public holiday by cancelling Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti holiday. BJP is waiting for the right time to cancel Good Friday and Saint Francis Xavier holiday.
- Mathew Dias, Goa | 16 th March 2015 16:25
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