Over the last almost five decades I have had the rare privilege of being part of a diverse range of public issues across Goa, encompassing a wide range of facts. But I have to candidly admit, that the toughest of them all has been this Silly Souls affair concerning the restaurant at Assagao allegedly run by the family of Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani.
The last over five months have been strenuous but a lifetime’s unforgettable experience. It has not been an easy path, with the battle raging on while the Central government and Pramod Sawant’s motley cabinet in Goa all being at Smriti Irani’s beck and call. All this despite central and local BJP leaders not having officially uttered a word on this raging controversy and having opted to maintain pin drop silence.
The need of the hour has been handling this complex issue while maintaining a calm composure which feat I was able to surprisingly attain. It may have been taking several months of my time but the silver lining is that the Silly Souls affair was a catalyst to enable me make a lot of new acquaintances across the nation, some of whom have in this short period evolved as dear friends.
My only regret in pursuing this issue is that with Silly Souls having shut down for now, Goa is presently without a very famed restaurant that served the best of exotic Pork and Beef cuisine. And for a senior BJP leader to do so it must have been no easy achievement.
