In an interesting development, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan New Delhi today forenonn when the BJP President Mr Rajnath Singh and others presented the lone women member Ms Victoria Fernandes alongwith others before the Madam President Ms Pratibha Patil, the two vibed easily as several similarities came to the fore.
Both the 72 year old Madam President and 72 year old Ms Victoria Fernandes were in active politics in the early sixties during the tenure of Maharashtra Chief Minister late Mr Y B Chavan and Chief Minister late Dayanand Bandodkar of the then Union Territory of Goa Daman & Diu . Madam President too was a Cabinet Minister in the Maharashtra Government and was aware of the plebiscite held in Goa -- Opinion Poll 1967 where Ms Victoria Fernandes staged a valiant struggle alongwith others to retain UT status for Goa Daman & Diu. While Madam President was backed to the hilt for the top post with the view of hoisting the first women President in India 60 years after Independence, the opposite treatment was meted to Ms Fernandes by the INC High Command in Goa. With the audio visual media giving the Goa Democratic Alliance top footage in their news channel to expose the reality of the INC led coalition defeat on Friday, 2007 on the floor of the House the Governor did not hesitate to ask for a test of strenght on the floor of the House on Monday, 30th July 2007. None of the Goa Democratic Alliance members stayed in the Goa Sadan at New Delhi but instead were kept in a secluded resort to avoid poaching by INC. In the meanwhile in Goa the INC MLA's are in furious mood over the Friday developments and there are many who have blamed the Speaker Mr Pratapsing Raoji Rane for failing to act and avert the disaster. There are fears that except the two of Save Goa Front Mr Churchill Alemao of Navelim and Mr Aleixo Lourence of Curtorim and MLA Fatorda Mr Damodar Naik who will control the developmental activities in 30 Village Panchayats and two Municipalities of Cuncolim and Margao will be laughing their way out at this scenario. This evening there were unconfirmed reports that once all efforts at winning some MLAs to save the INC led Government the other Independent Mr Vishwajit Rane may lend support to the Goa Democratic Alliance. Ofcourse Mr Digamber Kamat may also tender his resignation instead of facing defeat on the floor of the Assembly. He is on record saying that it was the "aam aadmi" common man not the CM that will suffer. following his defeat. He repeats ad nauseaum that he was a surprise choice of the High Command and if dictated to resign he will abide by their dictates. On the allotment of portfolios he puts the blame on the High Command and specially Ms Margaret Alva who has muddled up at last minute the list submitted by him. Would he then go down as a martyr who was compelled to make the supreme sacrifice because of the highandedness of the High Command only his voters will tell at the next hustings. Meanwhile in a surprise development the Government issued a public notice cancelling all conversions made on the revised Regional Plan 2011 and vowed to revert to the old Plan 2001 from 10th August, 2006. There is also an apprehension that the first step of the new Government when it takes office is to amend the Official language Act 1987 and hence the " Catholics for Konkani Devanagari " a group propped up by a section of the Saraswat Hindu Brahmins have got some Catholic Bamonn priest viz Fr Mousinho Athaide to come out with statements warning of a backlash if Konkani in Roman script was granted official status. This much of hypocricy of Cristao Brethren who "eat drink and dine ---Romi lipi in their daily life. GODFREY J. I. GONSALVES, BORDA, MARGAO, 403 602, GOA. (INDIA) +91 98221 58584 (24 HRS) [EMAIL PROTECTED] Do you get hundreds of mails everyday? Delete none. Go to http://in.rd.yahoo.com/tagline_mail_9/*https://edit.india.yahoo.com/config/eval_register