The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Minority Wing on Friday renewed its demand for the establishment of a Minority Commission in Goa, arguing that the absence of such a body has contributed to the state’s inability to fully utilise central welfare schemes for minority communities.
Addressing a press conference in Margao, AAP Minority Wing President James Fernandes, Goa Working President Gerson Gomes and Minority Wing Vice President Sarfaraz Ankalgi cited remarks made by Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju during his visit to South Goa, in June.
Rijiju had said Goa has not fully utilised central funds allocated for minority welfare schemes and announced that the Centre would work with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to improve implementation of these programmes. He also highlighted the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK), under which the Centre can fully fund infrastructure projects in areas where notified minority communities account for more than 25% of the population.
Reacting to the minister’s remarks, Gomes said the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Goa appeared to be out of sync.
“The BJP’s own Union Minister for Minority Affairs has exposed the failure of the BJP government in Goa in utilising funds earmarked for various minority welfare schemes,” Gomes said.
He called on Rijiju to disclose details of the schemes and the amount of unutilised funds, while questioning whether the Union minister was aware that Goa does not have a Minority Commission.
According to AAP, the absence of a Minority Commission has left the state without a dedicated mechanism to address minority grievances or oversee the implementation and monitoring of central welfare schemes. The party said Minority Commissions were established to safeguard the constitutional rights of minority communities.
Fernandes also referred to a letter written by AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 10, seeking accountability over alleged attacks on Christians in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal.
“Aam Aadmi Party RS MP Sanjay Singh has written to the PM on attacks on the Christian community,” Fernandes said.
Ankalgi said the BJP government had failed to fulfil a promise made by former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar in 2012 to establish a fully functional Minority Commission in Goa.
The party also recalled that Benaulim MLA Capt. Venzy Viegas had repeatedly raised the demand for a Minority Commission in the Goa Legislative Assembly. It said that during discussions in the Assembly in 2025, Minister Mauvin Godinho had stated that Goa did not require such a commission.
AAP argued that Rijiju’s recent remarks had strengthened its long-standing demand for the commission.
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