Panaji, April 17: A senior Goa Congress functionary and writer is in the eye of a storm for his Konkani poem, which has invited the ire of several women’s organisations.
N Shivdas, a Vice-President of Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) and President of Goa Konkani Academy, has penned a poem titled ‘Chedi’ (prostitute in Konkani language).
Former Goa Women’s Commission Chairperson Pramod Salgaoncar, addressing a press conference last evening, said Shivdas should tender a public apology for the poem, which is “not only vulgar but also an insult to womanhood”.
Shivdas said he regrets the title of the poem, which compares life with a commercial sex worker.
“It was not intended to insult anyone. I wrote it some years ago, when I was young,” he said.
However, the women’s groups have demanded that the Congress leader step down as President of Goa Konkani Academy, a state-funded institution.
–Agencies