Panaji, Feb 17 The people of Goa rejected the ideology of violence in elections, prevalent in other states, Director General of Police Indra Dev Shukla said on Thursday, three days after the state recorded a nearly 80 per cent voting during the February 14 assembly polls.
Speaking at a function in South Goa's Verna town, Shukla said that by voting peacefully and in large numbers, Goans had shown that "these cultures" of violence were not acceptable in the coastal state.
"I will say that the election has gone peacefully and the people of Goa have shown a mirror to all others who were participating here. I don't want to comment (on) anybody. But one thing I will certainly say, in few states, few political parties believe that their election starts with bomb, murder, burning of houses, with ransacking, with inducement, with threatening," Shukla said.
"The people of Goa, Goenkars, have given a very good lesson. Ideologically we may be different, but these cultures cannot be brought here and it cannot be a fertile ground for you. And it will never be a fertile ground for you," the top cop also said.
"We do not want all these kinds of things. Irrespective of any party across the lines, credit goes to the people and they have voted in such a huge number, but no violence. No doubt, we have also acted positively, wherever possible," he further said.
Incidentally, in the run up to the state assembly polls, both state and central leaders from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party during their visits to Goa had run a campaign against Trinamool Congress for indulging in electoral violence in the 2021 West Bengal polls and had expressed fear that culture of electoral violence would be introduced in Goa by the political outfit.
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