BJP MLA Ameet Satam from Andheri West has now demanded that the state government construct an East Indian Bhavan for the community — a long-pending demand — and name it after Joseph ‘Kaka’ Baptista, a freedom fighter closely associated with Bal Gangadhar Tilak and the Home Rule movement who was elected the first Indian-origin mayor of Bombay in 1925.
Ameet Satam made this demand in the assembly on July 20, the last day of the monsoon session. “Joseph ‘Kaka’ Baptista was Tilak’s close associate and played a big role in the freedom movement. His contribution must be recognized and the East Indian community must also be given credit. So, I demanded that an East Indian Bhavan be constructed and named after Joseph Kaka Baptista,” he said.
Mobai Gaothan Panchayat (MGP), which was one of the first organizations that demanded a community centre for East Indians, welcomed the move. “The Kaka Baptista Bhavan project was aimed at providing a center for the East Indian community, one of the oldest communities of the city. It has got a shot in the arm with legislator Ameet Satam making a strong demand for it in the assembly,” said Gleason Barretto, founder-trustee, MGP.
Gordon D’Souza of Bombay Catholic Sabha said the East Indian Bhavan has been a long-pending demand.
“If any elected representative is pushing for it in the assembly, it’s a welcome move and the community should be happy. Even if the BJP is taking it up, it’s a good thing. We will support the demand.”
ABJP functionary said the Catholic community is crucial to the party’s political equations. “This is especially true in Mumbai, where the community is influential in many constituencies. It plays a decisive role and had backed the BJP in 2014. So, we are reaching out to the community. Many meetings with community leaders are already underway and we are getting a good response from them.”
A series of meetings with Catholic community leaders have also been lined up for upcoming weeks, said the functionary.
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