Renowned Fashion Designer and BJP’s Shaina NC has achieved in Old Goa what the Dutch United East India Company could not do in 1595. She built a house for herself next to the most pious place for the Catholics in the eastern hemisphere.

History has it that one dark, full moon late three Dutch warships quietly sailed into the then Portuguese capital of Old Goa up the Mandovi River. Though there was no military engagement, the Portuguese cover was blown up and Goa transformed from a laid back colony to a military bastion of the visibly shaken Portuguese. Well, nothing of that sort happened for Shaina.

Weeks back, Catholics from across Goa gathered in the UNESCO recognised World Heritage Zone of Old Goa protesting the transfer of the Archaeological Survey of India Goa Circle’s Superintending Archaeologist Ramakrishna Amarnath to Chennai. It was Amarnath who was amongst those who raised the red flag against this clandestine development in the highly cultural sensitive Old Goa Heritage Zone which has been struggling to rebuff a solid waste treatment plant of Goa’s capital Panaji, repeated attacks by real estate lobbies and even the national highway four-laning projects across Goa.

But what is even more shocking is the political silence over this outrage.

The bungalow amongst Portuguese era monuments where the local Zila Parishad Member (and former Old Goa Panchayat Member) is Siddesh Naik, son of Union Minister Sripad Naik of the BJP. The Minister’s residence is just a stone’s throw away from the site. The incumbent MLA of Cumbarjua under which Old Goa comes is BJP’s Pandurang Madkaikar. Not a word from the above for demolishing this ill-begotten project.

However, the twist in the tale comes from the fact that a friend-turned-foe too had a hand in it. BJP’s former ally Goa Forward Party Supremo Vijai Sardesai claims that the Town & Country Planning permission was granted (to the structure) during BJP reign between 2012-16 under his predecessor late Francis D’Souza and the construction happened under the current regime. Why didn’t Vijai then cancel the file during his tenure in-between and what is Vijai doing in a video of a Shaina NC party?