April 19, 2005 To, The Administrator, GOANET. via e-mail.
Sir, Subject: Press Statement on the Language Controversy vis a vis Postal employment for kind favour of Publication. Hereunder please find the Press Statement issued by the Goa Su-Raj Party regarding the raging controversy of the language issue with regards to the employment in the Postal Department of Goa. Thanking you, Yours faithfully, for Goa Su-Raj Party. Sd/- (Floriano C. Lobo) President/Spokesperson *** Press Statement: Goa Su-Raj Party believes that the demands made by Mr. Ramakant Khalap, the previously known MGP stalwart with leanings towards Marathi and Maharashtra, as well as by Mr. Patnekar, Mr Arlekar and Mr. Parrikar and company, that the knowledge of Marathi should also be made compulsory/obligatory whilst recruiting personnel by the Postal Authorities is nothing but a demand to exclude all Catholics and Muslims of Goa from getting an opportunity for employment. All these gentlemen and their supporters have shown by their actions and pronouncements that they are willing to go to any lengths to carry forward their communal agenda. At the same time, when they go on the public platform, they shed crocodile tears and decry the invasion of Goa by outsiders. Goa Su-Raj Party firmly believes that Konkani is the best protection for all Goans and if this cannot be recognized by the above named gentlemen and their political parties, then there is no greater proof that these are the people who are only interested in power at the cost of the interest of Goa and Goans in general, for no Hindu in Goa of Goan origin does not know Konkani, but there are many Hindus who do not know Marathi. At the same time, Goa Su-Raj Party would like to suggest to the Postal Authorities that knowledge of Konkani should be made the only criterion with respect to language when recruiting personnel and not whether the candidates have taken Konkani as a second language subject at the SSC level or otherwise. END
