Amid the Gyanvapi survey developments, several debates on temple reclamation have taken over. Amid the Qutub Minar, ASI survey came to light, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant called for the restoration of temples in the state that were “damaged by the Portuguese.”

Sawant said this while talking to Prafulla Ketkar, editor of the RSS mouthpiece Organizer. Talking about the demolished temples in Goa, Pramod Sawant said, “In 450 years of Portuguese rule, Hindu culture was destroyed and many people converted. State temples were destroyed. We are going to rejuvenate all this. what’s wrong with that? I believe that wherever temples are in a ruined condition, they should be rebuilt.”

Sawant also addressed the problem of tourism, saying that it is the state government’s responsibility to encourage tourists to the temples.

Sawant said, “The temples damaged by the Portuguese should be reconstructed. To date, the tourists were attracted only to beaches but now it’s our duty to bring them to temples.” He affirmed, “The allocation from the Budget for the reconstruction of temples has already been made.”

The Goa CM favoured Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s statement that the Uniform Civil Code should be implemented in all states, saying that Goa has been following it since its inception. He said, “I am proud to say that Goa has followed Uniform Civil Code since liberation. I think other states should also implement it.”

Sawant added, “For 60 years what Goa couldn’t achieve, we have achieved between 2012 to 2022, and it is going to be among the best states soon.”

Pushkar Singh Dhami had maintained his pledge to bring in a Uniform Civil Code in the state, which he made before the Assembly elections, and said a committee will be formed to create a draft for its implementation. He said, “We want other states of the country to implement common civil code in their respective states.”

 

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