Mapusa: The mortal remains of Goa’s former Deputy Chief Minister and current BJP MLA Francis D’Souza were laid to rest on Saturday evening at his home town of Mapusa.
The mortal remains of the BJP leader was kept at his private residence at Mapusa for last two days during which thousands of people paid homage to their beloved leader.
The body of D’Souza was carried from his residence to St Jerome Church in the town by a decorated truck. He was accorded State Honour as the coffin carrying his remains was drapped in National Tri-Colour flag.
Funeral mass was conducted at the Church which was attended by hundreds of people including Archbishop of Goa and Daman Fr Filipe Neri Ferrao and senior leaders.
Paying tribute to his father, D’Souza’s son Joshua termed him as “man of the people who has always been helping those who approached him for help.”
State BJP President Vinay Tendulkar in his address during the mass recalled how D’Souza helped him during his tenure as Member of Goa Legislative Assembly. He said that the party has faced jolt with the demise of D’Souza.
D’Souza was elected to Goa Legislative Assembly in the year 1999 as Goa Rajiv Congress party candidate and later shifted to BJP to get elected to the STate legislative assembly in 2002, 2007, 2012 and 2017 from Mapusa constituency.
D’Souza was appointed as Deputy Chief Minister when BJP formed a government in the year 2012 first under Manohar Parrikar’s leadership and then under Laxmikant Parsekar as the Chief Minister.
