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The first Goa Legislative Assembly for the current
year (incidentally the election year end of five year
term in May 2007 ) begins tommorrow with the Governor
Mr S C Jamirs address to the House.
Interestingly this is a small session viz; for four
days ending 25th January, 2007. Coming close on the
heels of the Regional Plan 2011 issue and the
pre-poll issues raised by the MP Churchill Alemao
viz; Special Economic Zone, the Mopa Airpost, the
six lane highway, the official status to Konkani in
Roman script representation to ST's and the issue of
recognition to Dhangars etc; the ruling INC NCP MGP
Independent led Government will need to either take
serious note of these issues lest its neglect spell
the extinction of the INC in Goa. The NCP has nearly
moved very close on the heels of Mr Alemao's demands
knowing that their prospects at the polls could
otherwise be affected.
For the BJP notwithstanding Mr Manohar Parrikars
stance on the Regional Plan 2011, and other issues, it
needs to do a lot to retrieve lost ground specially
with the BJP led Government out of power at the
centre. With two of its MLAs ousted viz Mr
Rajendra Arlekar from Vasco-da-Gama and Mr Dayanand
Mandrekar from Tivim ousted while Mr Manohar (Babu )
Ajgaonkar from Dhargalim joining the INC the BJP has
to do real hard work to stage a come back. of course
they could always blame the minority community MLA's
and the influence of the Catholic-Muslim dominated INC
as the reason for the inaction of the INC led
coalition this last over one year after the BJP's
coalition ouster.
The NCP may find themselves out of the coalition
before the next election given their demands for more
seats and especially those that where they have
unseated the sitting MLAs Tivim Mandrem . There is
even a remote possibility of another two BJP
MLA'sjoining the INC and this could cause a cabinet
reshuffle where the NCP two members are shown the
door.
The MGP too may suffer the possibility of Minister
for PWD being stripped of his portfolio. But that
would depend on making room for one more of the BJP
MLA joining in or Mr Dhavalikar joining the INC if he
needs to retain the Ministerial portfolio and the seat
as well at the next hustings.
CM Pratapsing Rane is known for last minute manouvres
and may not allow the NCP and the MGP to share the
fruits of office before the ensuing elections. It was
his contention always that he had to tread the path
carefully owing to "coalition compulsions " which he
was not used to having run the INC is the past several
terms since 1980. Considering that this could well
be the last session before Assembly elections are
announced (and all this depends on 24th Januray, 2007
developments in UP) the session assumes significance.
Another is the possibility of the Panchayats having
to be dissolved and Administrators being appointed
and this is a foregone conclusion now that the
coalition partners have the numbers on their side.
With this done the Gram Sabhas on 26th January, 2007
may just end as a routine formality without much
business transaction . This could leave the GBA
agitationists little room for their further battle
given that it has now occurred to them that the real
battle of prospective of retrospective effect to the
denotification of the RP 2011 is now a BIG QUESTION.
But what is of utmost interest however is that Mr
Atanasio (Babush ) Monseratte, who while as Minister
for Town & Country Planning publicly promised to
tiatrists who met him at his residence earlier last
year 2006 to take up the cause of official
recognition to Konkani in Roman script , will now have
to prove his sincerity , by either putting forth a
Bill amending the Official Language Act 1987 as a
private members Bill if he may have not done so far
the last date being 29th December, 2006 OR atleast
make his intentions clear in the House by tabling
notices for making brief mentions at Question Hour
preferably on 23rd January, 2007 before 1.00 p.m.
preferably on the day of the sitting where the
portfolios of Chief Minister Mr Pratapsing Raoji
Rane, -- Official Languages (starred and unstarred
questions come up) or before the end of the session
This will be the litmus test of Mr Atanasio
Monseratte true colours for thus far by his
resignation he succeeded in putting all his Cabinet
colleagues on the mat including the Chief Minister Mr
Rane over the controversial Regional Plan 2011 where
he was being branded as the enfant terrible of the
ruling coalition and ofcourse his detractors in the
BJP led Opposition from where he defected.
Konkani lovers world over are therefore awaiting to
see Mr Monserattes performance on issue of
recognition of Konkani in Roman script which is
extremely dear to the hearts of all niz Goemcars .
This aspiration was conveyed to this writer by most of
the Non Resident Goans , who attended the Global
Goans Convention and felt that unity of language and
diversity of script needs to be achieved now or never.
It is on this score alone that Mr Monseratted would
well go down in the anals of history of Goa as the
true blooded Goan MLA who had the courage of
conviction to stand whole-heartedly by the aspirations
of Goans.
It is also of interest to note that while several
priests have expressed their personal views for
official language status only to Konkani in Devanagari
script, and some went ahead in forming the group
branded as Catholics for Devanagari at the behest of
some with ulterior motives; the Archdiocese has
preferred to maintain a studied silence on the issue.
It is clear therefore if the popular upsurge as has
been witnessed since the last over an year ultimately
necessitates the political leadership to bow to the
wishes of the people and accord official status to
Konkani in Roman script the Archdiocese of Goa and
Daman will have no alternative but to bow down to the
wishes of its flock and make room for imparting
primary education in Konkani in Roman script as well
in the next academic year 2008-09. It would not be
difficult because earlier the Diocesan schools
accepted the Devanagari script without the teachers in
its schools having the profiency to impart teaching of
the the devanagari script Konkani in its schools. It
was then a situation where the teacher and the student
learnt simultaneously an almost alien script. While
the world laughed at this fate of the Diocesan schools
being guided by "false prophets" the Catholic
community children became mice in the proverbial
laboratories of the Nagri Konkani lobby.
It may however be noted that there is unanimity on the
point that Konkani in Devanagari script too will
continue and should continue with support form all
Romi lipi lovers. This is what this session of the
Goa Legislative Assembly should achieve or it will
leave all the minority community MLA's at peril by the
ensuing hustings.
GODFREY J. I. GONSALVES,
BORDA, MARGAO, 403 602, GOA. (INDIA)
+91 98221 58584 (24 HRS)
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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