The election campaign has finally ended and we have all witnessed the blatant misuse of the official machinery by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. The Election Commission officials have proved to be very biased dancing to Manohar Parrikar's odd tunes. Most of the Press has sadly also been acting as Spokesmen of Manohar Parrikar. The threat of Parrikar striking back with vengeance is uppermost in the minds of the fourth estate.
We are in a democracy but people are so scared to speak. This is frightening. Some even dread to comment on social networking sites including Face Book. Is this the Democracy our Freedom Fighters fought for? The people of Goa have watched this Election campaign with utter despair and will through a silent vote, do what is good for India and Goa in particular. After hearing them all, the time has now come to cast our valuable vote most judiciously. Our focus has to be to ensure that in India democracy and secularism survives. In Goa, both the BJP candidates are hardcore RSS pracharaks who need to be routed to ensure that the Narendra Modi venom is nipped in the bud. India cannot be allowed to burn the Gujarat way. The admission of Pramod Mutalik of the Ram Sene, as a member of the BJP, is only a taster of the grand spread ahead. Despite all tall promises, he will now be waiting in the wings for a grander welcome after close of the elections. In North Goa, the BJP has propped up and fielded Dayanand Narvekar to split votes. The Aam Aadmi candidate Dattaram Dessai who has been very closely linked with the RSS will probably even cast his own vote for the BJP. Voting for such candidates will only indirectly benefit the BJP. So the only right choice we have is to vote for Ravi Naik. In South Goa, the BJP has worked overtime in fielding Churchill Alemao and Shalom Sardinha to split votes. Churchill's honeymoon with Parrikar is well known, and no private secret. A vote for the AAP or candidates of the fringe parties including those independents would only help the RSS geared BJP achieve its devious goal. By raking up skeletons from the closet, Parrikar has managed to squeeze Churchill Alemao and Micky Pacheco into submission. Caitu has openly thanked Parrikar for help given for his citizenship case. Money, advocates and what else? Even the Advocate General, who travels to Delhi for the mining case but makes a rare papal appearance in the Supreme Court, was promptly attending Caitu's hearing in Delhi High Court. The other apostles are awaiting manna from Parrikar to recoup at least the election money expenditure. So Ravi Naik in North Goa and Reginaldo Lourenco in the South is the way to go. In a parliamentary election the constituency being very vast it is just impossible for the candidate to visit each house. For the sake of democracy and secularism it is our responsibility to request our friends and neighbours to vote for the HAND. For those of us who are out of Goa please let your friends and folks know that Ravi and Reginaldo need to be voted to keep the Gujarat monster Narendra Modi out from our peaceful and secular Goa. Aires Rodrigues T1 - B30, Ribandar Retreat Ribandar - Goa - 403006 Mobile: 9822684372
