Panaji, May 7
A day after a video in which a visibly irritated Goa Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai knocked a mobile phone from a government officer's hand went viral, the politician said on Tuesday that he is an "aggressive person" by nature and not quite an "English gentleman".
Speaking to reporters, Sardesai also said that he had already expressed regret and added that he needed to control his patience and temper in the future.
A video showing Sardesai knocking off a ringing mobile phone from the hands of Siddhivinayak Naik, chief officer of the Margao Municipal Council, during a field visit on Monday had gone viral.
"At that time I got irritated because of the ringing phone call. And I acted. I have expressed my regret... I know he is a good officer, he has done good revenue recovery. He knows my habit," the Deputy Chief Minister told reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration of an office of the ruling Goa Forward party, which Sardesai heads.
"I am not an English gentleman like that. I am an aggressive person. Everybody knows that. This is not new," he added.
While the Congress had slammed Sardesai of behaving in a "dictatorial manner", the Minister had expressed regret hours after the incident.
The officer said that the Minister's act of knocking away the phone was "accidental" and that much should not be read into the incident.
Will 'weaponise' youth if domicile provisions diluted: Goa Deputy CM
Panaji, May 7 (IANS) Goa Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai on Tuesday said that his party will "weaponise" its youth to pressurize the BJP-led coalition government into rethinking on dilution of the provision of domicile for non administrative government jobs in the state.
Speaking at the inauguration of the new office of the ruling Goa Forward party, of which he is the President, Sardesai also justified aggression as a means to the end.
"We are willing to go anywhere to protect the interests of Goans. And this has to happen. And if our government has made a mistake, then ... we will weaponize them... That we will weaponize them to see that Goenkarponn (Goanness) is protected," Sardesai said.
"If we do not do this aggressively, then we will be like glorified clerks after being elected. We are not glorified clerks. We are ready to go to the streets... Aggression sometimes is required for certain things to happen," he said.
Sardesai, whose Goa Forward with its three legislators is critical to the survival of the BJP-led coalition government in the coastal state, also said that the Chief Minister should rethink the government's plan to dilute the domicile clause, failing which he would go to "any lengths" to reverse the same.
"My stand on the domicile issue is that the CM should give it a strict rethink... He has to reverse it not only in the University but in all government departments too. Domicile has to be compulsory. Goa has to be for Goans. And if this does not happen, we will go to any lengths to protect this. Any length," Sardesai said.
