Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Saturday rejected his own BJP's demand to arrest of Karnataka minister R.V. Deshpande for making subtle threats against Goan IT professionals living in Bengaluru in retaliation to the demolition of illegal shanties in southern Goa, some of which housed Kannadigas.
"I would not do that," Parsekar told IANS on the sidelines of a book release here when asked if he would consider acting on the demand made by his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
On Friday, BJP spokesperson Damodar Naik demanded that the arrest of Karnataka Higher Education Minister Minister Deshpande following allegedly inflammatory speeches made by him over demolition of illegal shanties in the Baina area.
Some of the shanties house Kannadigas and the minister's subtle warning threatened several thousand Goan IT professionals living in Bengaluru.
"He should be arrested immediately... for making such statements," Naik told reporters at a press conference on Friday.
He also claimed that Deshpande should know that there are many Kannadigas who had made Goa their home and were living peacefully.
"Do not misunderstand my statement, but there are many of them (Kannadigas) living in Goa in their own homes and working in the private and government sector," Naik said.
On Thursday, Deshpande accused the BJP-led Goa government of trampling on the rights of some Kannadiga occupants of the over 285 illegal shanties, some of which have already been demolished.
He also warned that Goa should not forget that 20,000 odd of its young workforce are employed in the information technology sector in Bengaluru.
